Pelvic Floor Power: Exercises for Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain Relief
Updated: Jul 3
Understanding Your Pelvic Floor | Pregnancy Pelvic Girdle Pain | Why Pelvic Floor Exercises For Relief | Classic Kegel Exercises | Yoga For Pelvic Floor Pain | Exercise Ideas At Home | Frequency | Pelvic Floor Trainer | How Pregnancy Massage Can Help
Is pregnancy bringing aches and pains along with the joy? You're not alone. Pelvic discomfort is common, but there are steps you can take for relief.
This article explores the benefits of pelvic floor exercises in pregnancy, including how they can help address pelvic girdle pain, a frequent pregnancy woe.
We'll also discuss exercises you can do at home and whether a pelvic floor trainer might be right for you.
Understanding Your Pelvic Floor: How It Connects To Your Reproductive Health
Have you ever wondered why Kegel exercises are so highly recommended during pregnancy?
The pelvic floor muscles form the base of your core muscles.
They play a crucial role in your overall reproductive well-being because they:
Support Your Pelvic Organs: They create a suspension for the uterus. They also influence anteriorly the vagina, fallopian tubes and bladder and posteriorly, the colon. This support is vital for maintaining proper positioning and preventing prolapse (organ descent). Poor posture and possible distortion of the pelvic girdle bones may affect the reproductive and digestive system's proper functioning.
Control Continence: Strong pelvic floor muscles contribute to bladder and bowel control. Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to incontinence issues.
Enhance Sexual Function: They also play a role in sexual arousal and orgasm. Because the pelvic musculature acts as a venous and lymphatic pump for the female pelvis. A strong and healthy pelvic area will give you greater control over your vagina muscles.
Understanding Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain
Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PPGP) is pain in the pelvic area. Sometimes it develop during pregnancy and significantly impacts women’s lives both physically and psychologically.
Sometimes called symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), it is a common complaint affecting up to 20% of pregnant women.
Symptoms
Aching or sharp pain in the groin area
Clicking or grinding sensations around the pubic area or pain down the inside of your thighs and at the back of the pelvis.
Difficulty walking, standing, parting the legs or moving around the bed. It usually gets worse at night.
Causes
Hormonal changes during pregnancy can loosen your pelvic joints.
Baby’s head goes too deep. This causes a lot of pressure against the hip, bladder and pelvis, stressing the pelvic joints. If the body doesn’t adapt quickly to this change, some women develop pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain.
Previous injury to the pelvis or a history of pelvic girdle pain.
Emotional stress and smoking may be contributing factors to pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. So this is another good reason why it is essential to stop smoking while pregnant and try to combat stress with a positive attitude.
Pelvic girdle pain can become a serious condition. So, it is important to get help as soon as possible if you experience any of the symptoms listed above. Talk to your doctor and get an early diagnosis so you can act promptly and avoid long-term discomfort.
How Pelvic Floor Exercises Can Help
Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegels, can be a powerful tool in your pregnancy toolkit to manage pelvic girdle pain.
Pelvic floor exercises are great both for men & women. They are particularly recommended during and after pregnancy or if you suffer from incontinence.
These exercises target the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and rectum. In fact, they tone and increase blood, oxygen, and nutrient flow to the pelvic area, so the pelvic floor muscles get stronger and supplier.
While traditional Kegel exercises are effective, some people find pelvic floor trainers add a fun and engaging element to their routine, making them more likely to stick with it.
Ready to strengthen your core and support your pelvic health? Check out these exercises designed by pelvic floor specialists!
Empower Your Wellbeing: Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor for Optimal Health
1) Classic Kegel Exercises
These exercises can be done standing, sitting, lying down, or even while squatting (squatting can be challenging, so start with easier positions).
Focus on the right muscles
Perform the exercises with your legs opened apart to avoid using your buttocks and thighs instead of your pelvic floor muscles.
You may practice it at home and try to put a finger in the vagina to check you are squeezing the correct muscles.
Step-by-Step:
Breathe into your abdomen: Expand your abdominal muscles as if you were filling a balloon. As you breathe out, contract your abdominal muscles to flatten it. Repeat 3 times.
Down & Up: On your next inhalation, expand your abdomen while “pushing down” into your genitals, feeling the pelvic floor lowering down. As you exhale, pull up the pelvic floor. Repeat 3 times.
Quick Squeezes: Lift and release your vagina muscles 10 times quickly. Repeat it until you don’t feel warmth in your vagina. Don’t be discouraged if you struggle to feel these muscles for the first few attempts.
Bonus tips
Imagine sending a wave of energy to your uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries as you inhale and squeeze the vaginal muscles. Feel a glowing warmth spread throughout the pelvis.
Don’t contract it for more than 10 seconds and take breaks between sets. The pelvic floor consists of fast-twitch muscles which tire easily.
2) Try Yoga For Pelvic Floor Pain
Yoga for the pelvic floor is a great choice if you experience pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain.
It enhances mobility to muscles in and around the pelvic floor and improves the strength and coordination of pelvic floor muscle contractions.
Pelvic floor yoga may help with the following conditions:
Urinary incontinence: This is often caused by a weakened pelvic floor. Pregnancy stretches and yoga poses can help a woman to regain urinary control. Because they strengthen, stabilise and soften the pelvic floor muscles.
Pain associated with menstrual cramps and endometriosis: Although pelvic floor yoga can’t be considered a cure, it can certainly help a woman manage the symptoms associated with these conditions. In fact, it helps to strengthen, stretch and relax the pelvic muscles, which usually are really tight in women suffering from menstrual cramps and endometriosis.
Low libido: Thanks to the strengthening of the pelvic floor a woman can benefit from greater pleasure when having sex. It improves body awareness. And it also enhances the control of the muscles that need to relax to have pain-free penetrative sex.
3) Pelvic Floor Exercises From The Comfort Of Your Couch
Ready to take control of your pelvic health? Our video reveals 5 simple exercises you can do at home!
What's a good routine during pregnancy?
Pregnancy Pelvic floor exercises can be performed anywhere, anytime so try to do them every day!
Here are some simple ideas:
Do pelvic circling, tilts or pelvic floor exercises while washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, or cooking
Squat every time you need to bend down
Squat or sit on an exercise pregnancy ball when watching TV, chatting on the phone or working at your desk. Regular exercise during pregnancy can also help to prevent and manage prenatal and postnatal depression symptoms.
Beyond Kegels: How Pelvic Floor Trainers Enhance Your Workout
While traditional Kegel exercises are effective, some people find pelvic floor trainers add a fun and engaging element to their routine. This makes them more likely to stick with it.
For those who struggle to isolate the pelvic floor muscles, pelvic floor trainers can provide valuable guidance and ensure proper technique.
In fact, Pelvic floor trainers offer biofeedback, which can help users confirm they're engaging the correct muscles during pelvic floor exercises.
Can Pregnancy Massage Help Ease Pelvic Girdle Pain?
Research suggests that Pregnancy Massage can create significant positive changes over time.
In this study, women suffering from pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain report a lower rating of pain postmassage and one-week postmassage treatment.
This result was important as women reported not only a physical improvement. But there were also psychological and emotional benefits as PPGP can be very debilitating and stressful.
During our Pregnancy Massage in London, our experienced practitioners will release the pressure along your groin, upper thighs and glutes. Because these muscles often get restricted and may worsen pelvic pain.
This treatment is also very relaxing and stimulates the release of endorphins, which are natural body painkillers.
We hope you now feel more confident about the best pelvic floor exercises for pregnant women to prevent and manage girdle pain.
Try to incorporate some of these tips into your daily routine! So that you can fortify your pelvic area and enjoy all the benefits!
Book today your first appointment, and boost your health during pregnancy with our super relaxing and effective massage for pregnancy London!
We hope you now feel more confident about the best pelvic exercises for pregnant women and we have inspired you to incorporate some of these tips into your daily routine so that you can fortify your pelvic area and enjoy all the benefits!