“Tummy troubles: how pelvic PT can help with constipation”
Many people associate “pelvic floor muscles” and the vagina, however, the pelvic floor muscles wrap around the urethra, anus, and vagina! You need 3 things working properly to poop correctly and efficiently—your diaphragm, your abdominal musculature, and your pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles need to have proper mobility to lengthen and help you eliminate stool fully and without straining. The core muscles should contract to help increase intraabdominal pressure and stimulate the GI tract further. Lastly, you should exhale when pooping which relaxes the diaphragm. This means you should NOT be performing any Valsalva or straining when you poop. Typically when you Valsava, you are tensing your pelvic floor muscles. Pooping is not the time to be contracting pelvic floor muscles since we need the anus to open wider for complete and easy elimination of stool. We can actually practice proper posture and breathing techniques together at PT to ensure you are not pooping in a way that could be contributing to pelvic organ prolapse (blog post on prolapse to come soon!)
Treatment techniques for constipation can include colon massage, spinal mobility exercises, core strengthening, and behavioral modification changes. I often perform colon massages on patients experiencing significant constipation and/or bloating to promote GI motility. I do not want you to need me for long though, so I will always teach you how to perform these techniques on yourself! Spinal mobility and posture play a role in bowel health and function, so I assess your thoracic spine, rib cage, hips, and lumbar spine to ensure the musculoskeletal system is not contributing to worsening your bowel dysfunction.
Lastly, general diet recommendations and supplements can provide aid to patients experiencing these issues. It’s actually in our scope of practice! I always love a multidisciplinary approach for better patient outcomes. If you are having significant issues with meeting your daily nutrition needs, be sure to meet with a registered dietician for further consult.
Pooping problems got you down? Schedule an appointment with me today and we’ll get over this crap together! 😉