Improving your quality of life through pelvic floor rehabilitation with Tarryn Graham

Many a joke has been made about the “multi-tasking” ability of older women to cough, sneeze, laugh and pee all at once!

Most of us have heard of the pelvic floor and kegel exercises. But what exactly is the pelvic floor, how do these muscles function or “malfunction” and is there anything you can do to correct dysfunction?

The pelvic floor is a crucial set of muscles located at the bottom of your pelvis, supporting your bladder, colon, rectum, and in women, the vagina, cervix, and uterus.

Its functions are vital, ranging from providing support and stabilisation for your organs, facilitating sexual sensation, aiding in lymphatic drainage to prevent bloating, and maintaining continence.

A well-functioning pelvic floor is essential for everyday activities such as standing, walking, urinating, passing stool and even sexual functions.

Commonly, issues can arise when these muscles are too tight or too loose, overactive or weak.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is characterised by the inability to properly contract, relax and coordinate these muscles.

Symptoms can vary, from leakage of urine or faeces (incontinence), to inability to empty the bladder or chronic pain in the pelvic region, difficulties with bowel movements, pelvic organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction.

Causes of these symptoms include traumatic injuries, overuse of pelvic muscles, previous surgeries, and factors such as ageing, stress, hormonal changes and pregnancy.

Tension is often held within the pelvic floor muscles and I see many patients who unknowingly spend a large portion of their day clenching these muscles.

An interesting fact is that the tissue that makes up the pelvic floor muscles is the same as the embryological tissue that forms the jaw muscles.

This means people who clench their jaw or grind their teeth often also clench the pelvic floor and struggle to relax these muscles.

So next time you are in bumper-to-bumper traffic, do a quick scan of your body – are you holding tension in your jaw and are you clenching your pelvic floor muscles?

The symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, while common with ageing, are not something you should just accept and live with!

Pelvic health physiotherapy is the gold standard for managing symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, pelvic pain, constipation and sexual dysfunction and these physiotherapists are qualified to assess and treat the pelvic floor muscles.

Treatment is often done in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team including doctors (urologist, gynaecologist, colorectal surgeon, sexologist, GP) and psychologists.

Given the complex role of the pelvic floor in your overall health, addressing any issues with these muscles is crucial.

Engaging in appropriate treatment by seeking the guidance of a pelvic floor specialist, and following a tailored treatment plan, can help manage or resolve symptoms, improving quality of life and overall well-being.

Salt Rock resident Tarryn Graham has a BSc in physiotherapy from Stellenbosch University, and has a special interest and further training in women’s health physiotherapy and sexual health.

She has 14 years’ experience in women’s health and pelvic floor physiotherapy.

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