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  Pelvic floor exercise Download

Purpose To strengthen pelvic floor muscles and hence have better bladder and bowel control. Prevent urine leakage under pressure e.g. when you cough, sneeze or jump. Improve muscle tone, especially during pregnancy, so as to give better support to the uterus, minimize back or pelvic pain, and improve recovery after delivery. Increase vaginal tone and this may increase your sensation during sexual intercourse. Prevent or correct prolapse (drooping of bladder, uterus or bowel due to weakened pelvic floor muscles). What are pelvic floor muscles? The pelvic floor is made of layers of muscles stretching from the pubic bone in the front to the base of spine at the back. It consists of three parts surrounding the urethra, vagina and rectum.
Becoming familiar with your pelvic floor muscles 1 While you are passing urine, try to stop your urine flow midway. Hold for 3 seconds and then relax. This helps you to find the muscle that control your urine flow. 2 Concentrate on tightening the muscles around your vagina. You should feel a squeezing, lifting movement. If your pelvic muscles are weak, this sensation may be difficult to feel. 3 To know the muscles that control your anal sphincter, tighten the muscles around your anus as if stopping wind. Hold for 3 seconds and then relax. Once you can identify the above muscle groups, you need to practise using them all together.
How to perform pelvic floor exercise? - First relax your thighs, buttocks and tummy muscles. - Concentrate to use all three different parts of pelvic floor muscles together. - Squeeze and lift the muscles slowly, just like holding urine or stopping wind. - When you have tightened your muscles to your limit, hold the contraction for 10 seconds, release gradually, rest for 10 seconds and then repeat. - For each cycle, contract and release the muscles up to 15 times. - Start with 3 cycles each day, totally 45 times. How do you know you perform pelvic floor exercise correctly? Put your hands on the buttocks and you feel both hands move inwards when you perform pelvic floor exercise correctly.
Pelvic Floor Exercise You could perform pelvic floor exercise when you are sitting, standing or lying. Sitting Keep your feet on the floor, separate the knees with the same distance of your shoulders. Put both hands on your thighs. Prompt your body forwards a bit. Contract the pelvic floor muscles, hold for 10 seconds and then release for 10 seconds. Repeat 15 times. Standing Keep your feet separately at the same distance of your shoulders. Contract the pelvic floor muscles, hold for 10 seconds and then release for 10 seconds. Repeat 15 times. Lying Bend your knees at 45 degrees when you are lying on the bed. Contract the pelvic floor muscles, hold for 10 seconds and then release for 10 seconds. Repeat 15 times.
When to do the exercise? The exercise can be done sitting or standing during your daily living, e.g. when you are doing housework. Important Notes Do not practise the squeezing exercise during urination. Do not hold your breath or stop breathing while doing the contraction exercise. Do not bear down during this exercise. Please do not give up, sometimes it takes two to six months to notice the improvement. It is best to seek advice if you are having difficulty as it is possible to make a problem worse if this exercise is not done correctly.
 
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Last revision date: 01 September 2006