Posted by GuestPoster on Jun 23, 2011 in Articles, Health and Medicine | Comments Off
Pelvic floor is a sheet of muscles located in the lower part of your pelvis. It originates from the pubic bone and inserts into the tip of the backbone forming a floor where pelvic organs rest on. Because of this arrangement, the muscle prevents these organs from prolapse or falling out of place. Aside from being a supportive structure, it also helps the different sphincters that are located near it. For example if you cough or sneeze, the pressure in your abdomen increases which can sometimes push a small amount of urine out. It contracts around the passage of the urine to prevent it from leaking out.
However, many factors can affect the strength and integrity of the muscle. Women especially are at risk for weakening of their floor muscles because of the increased pressure on the pelvic area during pregnancy and childbirth. Surgery on the pelvic area like hysterectomy in women and prostatectomy as well as constant straining during defecation can also damage them. Being overweight also increases your risk of having a weakened floor muscles as you grow older.
So what happens if your floor muscle becomes weakened? Basically the organs it supports become prolapsed. This is especially for the uterus. In addition, people with weak floor muscle suffer from stress incontinence or the leaking out of urine when one coughs or sneezes. This is because the muscle cannot contract enough to stop the flow of urine form the bladder when pressure in the abdomen increases. Partners might also complain of decreased sexual performance especially in men.
So how can you prevent the muscles from weakening? First would be to minimize the pressure being placed on the muscles. Avoid being constipated as the straining during evacuation of bowels. Also get rid of the extra pounds. But what of those conditions where in you can do nothing about the increasing pressure, like pregnancy. Then the second thing would be to make your floor muscles stronger by doing floor muscle exercises. These are a set of simple exercises that do not any equipment or specialized training. See the web or read some books on how to do these simple exercises.
The benefits of having a well toned pelvic floor include a decrease risk for uterine prolapse and stress incontinence. It can also better withstand the immense pressure during pregnancy and childbirth. In addition partners have reported increased sexual satisfaction after doing floor muscle exercise. Keep your floor muscles in good shape and enjoy its benefits even in old age. Find a health blog for more information.