In my membership, we have been talking about urinary incontinence, so I wanted to share some useful information with you.
Incontinence is not the only symptom of your pelvic floor not firing on all cylinders. It is a myth that the only problem your pelvic floor can have is incontinence and it is also a myth that you just need to accept incontinence as part of life after children or life after a certain age. Just because women are accepting it, doesn’t mean it is the only way and it’s not your fault if that’s what you believe.
We believe these myths because it is rare that we hear an alternative perspective. That’s why I am here with, as my granny would say ‘my foghorn’, to educate and bust these myths and many other myths about pelvic floor dysfunction.
We are trained in Incontinence
Over the years of our lives we are quietly and gradually being fed information or lack of information that builds a story in our own mind without us even realising it; In the television adverts for pads, the joke in the playground about not being able to go on the trampoline, or as youngster being told to go to the toilet before you go anywhere. We are subtlety being trained out of our intuition, feeling our internal cues and sense of personal agency. It isn’t purposeful necessarily, it just is.
What is incontinence?
Bladder incontinence occurs when the sphincter of your urethra does not act spontaneously to the information from your brain that it needs to contract, or when the bladder is sending mixed messages to the brain. It is not simply and muscle weakness issue.
Muscles can’t work if there is a wiring issue. If you have told yourself to go just in case for years this can lead to some confusion. If you had a birth injury where scar tissue tension has built up over time, the sensation is reduced so the brain-to-body communication is disrupted.
This means that you can improve your continence by relaxation techniques, breathing and gently controlled challenges to your pelvic floor muscles that are in direct relation to the activities they are needed for.
Exercises to help with incontinence:
Baby Breathing
Set-up: Lie on your back and hug your knees to your chest.
Action: Breathe deeply into your pelvis, and each of your sphincters.
Cue: Imagine them relaxing and releasing open.
Joes Pose
Set-up: On your knees, bottom on your heels, head on the floor and your hands reaching back to your feet.
Action: Breathing into the back of your body, ribs and pelvis.
Cue: Imagine fanning open the entire back of your body.
Rocking Cat
Set-up: On all fours, feet and knees together, with your tail curled under and your spine in a long curve.
Action: Rock rapidly back and forth keeping the curve all the time and pressing your knees into each other.
Cue: Imagine lifting your urethra up inside as you’re rocking rapidly.
If you have more questions about incontinence join our Facebook group where we can chat more or better yet join the membership. Last month we talked about why downhill walking causes incontinence.
In conclusion, Claire Sparrow emerges not just as a Pilates educator, but as a true visionary in pelvic floor wellness. Her innovative Whole Body Pelvic Health Method, deeply rooted in personal experience and professional expertise, has revolutionised the approach to pelvic health.
Claire’s commitment to demystifying and resolving pelvic floor dysfunctions empowers women worldwide, offering hope, practical solutions, and a path to reclaim their lives with confidence, strength, and vitality. Her work is not just transformative; it’s a beacon of hope for women seeking to step out of the shadows and into their fullest potential.
Click here to join the membership and being a life free of incontinence