The pelvic floor muscles are often overlooked when it comes to overall health. A strong pelvic floor provides the foundation for the rest of our body.
If you’re suffering from weak pelvic floor symptoms, no one may know. On the outside we may look like everything is great. Pelvic floor weakness is a silent struggle that most people won’t know others are going through.
What Does the Pelvic Floor Do?
The pelvic floor is like a girdle that surrounds your bladder, rectum and uterus. It is composed of three layers:
- First layer: assists with urinary and sexual function.
- Second layer: assists in urination and bowel function.
- Third layer: assists with pelvic stability, function, and supports the pelvic organs.
The pelvic floor muscles have a bigger job than what we give them credit for. All these muscles work together affecting the opening and closing of the urethra, the pathway where urine exits. As a result, weak pelvic floor symptoms include bladder leakage, passing gas when you bend or lift, and uncontrolled bowel movements.
The entire pelvic floor system is controlled by our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which has two modes, fight/flight or rest/digest. Time spent in fight or flight mode activates the pelvic floor muscles. This can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Weak Pelvic Floor Symptoms and Types of Incontinence
As we age, enter menopause, or after giving birth, the bladder becomes weaker, decreasing its contractility and increasing the residual left in the bladder. This leads to minor to moderate bladder dribbles (leaking when you laugh, cough, or sneeze), the inability to make it to the toilet in time to pee, or even experience uncontrolled bowel movements.
Stress incontinence: as estrogen levels drop, vaginal tissue including that of the bladder and urethra require estrogen to stay strong and elastic. As estrogen drops during menopause, these tissues thin and weaken giving less control. This change makes it more difficult to hold urine resulting in leakage when pressure is exerted on the bladder (sneezing, coughing, lifting. Stress incontinence is the number one cause of bladder leakage in women.
Urge incontinence: As estrogen levels drop during menopause, sphincter, urethra and pelvic muscles weaken. The bladder has a more difficult time stretching to accommodate filling. As the bladder fills, loss of stretch causes irritation resulting in more frequent urges to urinate. With urge incontinence, you might find yourself leaking a little as you try to make it to the toilet.
Strengthening the pelvic floor can greatly help with incontinence postpartum, and also after menopause when our estrogen plummets.
Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor to Improve Weak Pelvic Floor Symptoms
For the pelvic floor to function at its optimal level it must be balanced from your spine down through your legs. You can train these muscles to work better by sitting on the Kegel Chair for Venus Wave Therapy from Venus Wave Therapy.
You will see a stronger pelvic floor just by using the Kegel Chair twice a week for three weeks.
As your pelvic floor muscles strengthen, you will see an improvement in your weak pelvic floor symptoms, and you will become closer to regaining your independence from incontinence products, like pads, absorbent underwear and diapers. This saves money and the environment – you’ll spend less money on disposable products that end up in the landfill. You can even save yourself from the cost and waste of doing extra laundry.
Treat Weak Pelvic Floor Symptoms and Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor with Venus Wave Therapy
Venus Wave Therapy effectively stimulates and twitches the pelvic floor muscles rapidly. It’s like a heavy-duty gym work-out for your pelvic floor, all while you’re comfortably sitting. Venus Wave Therapy provides the equivalent of 11,800 Kegels in 28 minute and will improve your quality of life in so many ways. It’s approved by Health Canada, you remain fully clothed on the chair, it’s non-invasive and you can resume with your activities afterwards. Reach out to Venus Wave Therapy today to learn more about this revolutionary treatment for bladder incontinence and start strengthening your underappreciated pelvic floor.Follow Venus Wave Therapy Medical on Facebook and Instagram.