New Approach
Background
It is widely accepted that pelvic floor dysfunction results from weak pelvic floor muscles. Kegel, a medical practitioner first described and published a method of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles through squeezing in 1948 and since then the focus in rehabilitation has been on strengthening only (See Wikipedia on Kegel). However because the muscles are often taut, stressed and imbalanced, strengthening alone can add to the imbalance or the muscles and they may simply be unable to strengthen because of their distressed state.
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The learning centre should be studied carefully to make sure you get the most from the next section |
| Topics Covered |
A New Approach
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Through using modern diagnostic medical equipment such as real time ultrasound imaging we are able to see the patterns of contraction and release of the pelvic floor and we can see what the pelvic floor does and what it does not do where dysfunction exists. |
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| Ultrasound |
Critical evaluation of clinical practice has revealed that we should first release the pelvic floor muscles achieving a balance across the pelvic floor. This step towards releasing has been a major step forward and is one of the key things this web site will teach you.
Once we have achieved this releasing, we can strengthen in a uniform and consistent way that optimises the performance of the pelvic floor. This is very like what we do with other muscles in the body, the hamstring muscle for example would first be released, massaged and stretched before undertaking muscle strengthening. We are now learning that the pelvic floor must be treated as other body parts and in order to rehabilitate optimally we must first release and then facilitate muscle activity to restore its former function.
To learn more about these exercises, please see our exercise section.