If your bladder or bowel leaks throughout the day and night, you may have a weak pelvic floor. Pelvic floor weakness can affect women who previously experienced a difficult pregnancy or delivery. The condition can also develop from heavy lifting. Here are some things that can weaken your pelvic floor.

What Causes Pelvic Floor Weakness?

Your pelvic floor contains your bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum. Your pelvic floor keeps these organs in place with strong ligaments, muscles, and tendons. But the factors mentioned above can weaken your pelvic floor, which causes the organs inside to collapse, fall, or move out of placement.

Two of the most common causes of pelvic floor weakness and incontinence are pregnancy and childbirth. An unborn baby's weight can place great strain on the muscles and ligaments that hold the uterus, bladder, and rectum in place. During childbirth, some women experience pelvic floor weakness during delivery when their tissues stretch beyond normal capacity. The muscles and ligaments supporting the birth canal and pelvic floor may not return to their original states after delivery.

Heavy lifting is another possible cause of pelvic floor weakness and incontinence. You should always use the large muscles in your thighs and legs to lift objects. You should also keep your abdominal muscles tight to protect your lower back from strain. But if you use your back muscles to lift objects or forget to tighten your abdominal muscles, you can create tension on your pelvic muscles instead.

Your pelvic floor weakness and incontinence can become worse with time and without the appropriate treatment.

How Do You Correct or Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor?

Some sources recommend performing Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. But if you don't treat the underlying cause of your pelvic floor problems, the exercises may not be as effective as they need to be. In some cases, you can make your health problems worse.

It's critical that you see a gynecologists or pelvic floor specialist for help. A doctor can examine your pelvis to see if you have torn, loose, or damaged tissues. Sometimes, soft tissues can tear or loosen up due to infection, inflammation, or injury. The tissues in your rectum can also prolapse, or protrude, into the vaginal region. The protruding rectal tissues can make it difficult to pass bowel movements.

One of your treatment options is reconstructive surgery. The surgery can tighten and repair loose or damaged tissues. Some doctors place supportive devices inside the vaginal region to make bowel movements less stressful. After surgery, a specialist may advise you to undergo physical therapy to strengthen your tissues even further.

You can overcome your health issues by contacting a pelvic floor specialist today. You can also contact establishments like Western Branch Center for Women.

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