Seeing a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist - The 2nd Appointment & Progress

The second appointment with the pelvic floor therapist was much shorter than my first encounter as we already covered the large set of introductory questions. We started off with some questions on my progress and how I was finding my exercise routine.

We did another internal examination of the pelvic floor muscles and I was instructed to contract and release to measure my ability to hold a relaxed state. I did notice a definite improvement in my ability to consciously relax the pelvic floor so I was very happy about that. The exercises were definitely helping.

I was still finding some issues when sitting down , my pelvic floor muscles would feel tight often accompanied by a burning sensation or dull ache and sometimes the classic golf ball syndrome.

Probably the most important take away was the fact that I am very tense throughout he day and really need to learn how to relax in general. I bought a relaxation cd that was directly targeted for chronic pelvic pain and have been using since my 2nd appointment and it is frankly amazing for the pelvic floor as well as calming an overactive mind.

Important Take Aways

Lumbar Support

The Lumbar support for the chair helps maintain the natural curve of the lower spine while maintaining a good sitting posture with the sitting bones taking the the weight of the body and avoiding tucking the tailbone.

A good way to determine if you are sitting correctly is by paying attention to your breathing, Are you able to take a nice deep belly breath down into your pelvic floor. Then you are sitting correctly and the pelvic floor is able to relax.


Relaxation CD

The pelvic floor relaxation CD is probably one of the most important tools for people suffering pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic pain. For those of us with pelvic issues we really need to learn how to relax and a relaxation CD teaches you how to relax again .

there seem to be a few audio books available online to download for pelvic floor relaxation or you can visit a pelvic floor physio in order to get one but it is very similar to other relaxation cd and goes something like this

-> Start relaxing each body part starting from your face and working your way down to your toes.
-> To better feel the feeling of a relax limb or joint , first lightly tense the muscle then relax
-> Jaw tension has been closely associated with pelvic floor tension , always check in with face and jaw tension.
-> Do the same for the pelvic floor, lightly contract and draw in the pelvic floor and breath out and release the pelvic floor muscles.
-> It helps to cover your eyes with a towel or hankerchief to block out light so you can fully focus on the relaxation.

I shall be back with appointment number 3 if anyone is interested, we used an ultrasound on the pelvic floor muscles to help me visual the relaxing and contracting of the pelvic floor muscles.

I will also hopefully publish a post regarding levator ani syndrome, and what has helped for me as this must be one of the most frustrating disorders I have come across, full of uncertainty and miss diagnosis. Hang in there all the best :)

Seeing a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist - The 1st Appointment & Experiences

Hello all its been a while since my last post , I finally had a chance to see a pelvic floor therapist / specialist / physiotherapist so I thought I would share my experiences to see if it would be something that may benefit others. After all to be honest it wasn't exactly cheap and if I can spread some free information and help others that would be great :)

The 1st Appointment

So I was a little nervous going into the 1st appointment after all I knew it would involve an internal pelvic floor examination. But for me enough was enough it was time to get a professional diagnosis of the health of my pelvic floor.

It seemed like most of the other clients at the pelvic floor therapists were women but I was told by my physiotherapist that they are seeing more and more men lately (apparently male pelvic floor physio's are one in a million because of the fact that they practice on each other during their training which may make it quite awkward for a man, well that's my thinking anyway). The first thing we went through was a series of questions to determine whether tightness/pain was my issue or whether it was incontinence and a weak pelvic floor.

Some of the questions I was asked were.

- Do I experience any pain or discomfort, when and where?
- Sexual Orientation
- Any history of sexual abuse ( unfortunately very common for people with pelvic floor disorders)
- Ease of bowel movements
- Any leakage either urine or from the anal
- Do I experience any other pain be it backs, hips, neck

She also showed me a very disturbing image of different types of poo :P and asked me to tell her which ones I experience on a daily basis , I felt like I was choosing items off a very unappetizing menu

 

a necessary discussion of bowel movements

My physiotherapist then walked me through the basics of pelvic floor anatomy with the help of a pelvic floor anatomy model.

She discussed the fact that the pelvic floor muscles resemble a muscular bowl with the job of holding all internal organs in their correct positions. She showed me on the model the deeper layers of the pelvic floor such as the levator ani which can often hold painful trigger points which can be healed through massage or relaxation exercises.

Pelvic Floor Internal Examination

We then moved onto the pelvic floor examination (just what I was dreading :P ). My physiotherapist had my lie on my back with my knee's bent and did a quick external examination to check for pain or muscle tightness around the perineum (between the anus and testicles) , around the thighs and buttock area. For me I felt no pain what so ever but she did notice that I had very tight abductors and hips. (very common for people with office jobs or sitting for long peroids of time)

We then moved to the internal examination , I positioned myself on my side with my knees drawn up towards my chest so that the anal canal is more easily accessible.  The physio was very gentle and I did not feel any pain or discomfort during the examination which had me worried because my number one goal of visiting the physio was to find the trigger points that I knew must be the cause of my pelvic floor issues. 

The physio continued to lightly press on different muscle fibers of the pelvic floor and FINALLY I felt what I would describe as a slight twinge of pain which was most definitely a trigger point. Something that I had never been able to find when performing internal massage by myself. The Physio then lightly pressed down on the trigger point while she instructed me to do semi contractions of the pelvic floor and I did feel almost instant relief. ( Can't tell you how happy I was that I now had proof I had trigger points in my pelvic floor :) ).

After a couple more minutes or internal massage , I was given a pelvic floor exercise routine which looked like this

3 SETS

10 x Pelvic Floor Squeezes

Procedure

1. Breath in
2. Breath out and contract the pelvic Floor
3. Breath in and maintain the pelvic floor contraction
4. Breath Out and release the pelvic floor
5. Breath in and out without contracting , on the exhale try and relax pelvic floor further

This procedure was also recommended for constipation to train my body to know the difference between a contracted and relaxed pelvic floor. I know you may think that prescribing pelvic floor exercises can be counter productive for people with pelvic pain and tightness but its really about training yourself to relax by first feeling what a contraction feels like. You will eventually reach a higher level of pelvic floor relaxation.

Also price wise the first consultation was not cheap, just under $200 for a 1 hour appointment. My health insurance did pay a little but I wouldn't be scheduling appointments too often I am going to get the most out of it and heal myself hopefully :)

So that's about it for the 1st appointment, feel free to ask me questions and I will create another post for appointment 2 with the progress I have made (which I have by the way :) ) Also on a side note I was given a diagram on proper defecation posture which involved placing a short stool under my feet to put me into a squat position to straighten out the anal canal and allow for easier bowel movements.

 

Similar to the squatty potty , which I have ordered recently :) can't wait for it to arrive

Anterior Pelvic Tilt and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - Breathing Exercise

Anterior pelvic tilt or hyper lordosis is very common for people suffering pelvic floor dysfunction.

There are many exercises you can do to correct anterior pelvic tilt and bring the pelvic bowl into a more neutral position but there can be some restrictions that can prevent you from getting the full benefit from these exercises.

Common exercises such as hamstring curls , Glute Bridges and reverse crunches are prescribed to reverse anterior pelvic tilt. These exercises work great when you have the ability to peform lumbar flexion.

For people who have been in a state of anterior pelvic tilt for many years the lower lumbar muscles can be so tight that they physically cannot perform lumbar flexion.

For those with tight lower back muscles, lumbar flexion doesn't always occur and you will see a stiff straight back instead of a slight bend.

1. Crocodile Breathing Exercise

The crocodile breathing exercise is very useful for stretching the lower lumbar muscles and is especially useful for those with shortness of breath and those who find that they cannot take a full deep breath. (shallow breathing)

Lie on your stomach with your head wresting on your hands to maintain a neutral spine.  Take deep abdominal belly breaths and feel the air stretch your lower back and obliques.

                                             image: achievefitnessboston

Important -> For those with anterior pelvic tilt make sure that you dig your ASIS (hip bones) and pubic bone into the ground to avoid arching your back while performing this exercise, Dig your hip bones into the ground but also make sure you are not tensing your pelvic floor or anus muscles.

Not feeling the stretch?

If you have an extermely tight lumbar spine you may need some extra help to feel the stretch. The easiest way to do this is to lay over a foam roller or swiss ball. Position the ball on your belly , you may need to experiment with placement to get the best stretch.

Now you have loosened up the lower lumbar muscles you can perform your anterior pelvic tilt correction exercises.

Its also important to release the psoas muscles before performing anterior pelvic tilt correction exercises, I have previously written a post on this subject ->

The Psoas and the Pelvic Floor - Release the Psoas to Heal Pelvic Pain.

there you go , another riveting post :) as always I hope it helps someone out there

3 Easy Pelvic Floor Alignment Tips - Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Its always very tricky to determine whether or not your pelvic floor is in alignment ,There are a few simple ways you can check your posture alignment throughout the day and correct them.  

1. ASIS in line with the Pubic Bone

The easiest way to check your pelvic alignment is to look down and make sure that the ASIS bone (Anterior superior iliac spine) and the Pubic Bone ( Pubic symphysis)  are in line. This can be as simple as putting one finger on the ASIS bone and another on the pubic bone and visually checking that they are in line.

If you find your pubic bone is behind the ASIS bone you are most likely in anterior pelvic tilt and need to strengthen the abdominal muscles and hamstrings. If you find the opposite with the pubic bone out in front you are most likely in posterior pelvic tilt.

2.  One Side of Pelvis Higher or Rotated 

It can be very common for one side of your pelvic floor to be higher than the other, The must common cause of this issue is that one leg is a lot tighter than the other. You may have very tight hamstrings and most likely tight hip flexors which will raise or rotate one side of your pelvic floor.

Tighter muscles in one particular leg usually occurs when someone favors a particular leg and will often find themselves leaning on one leg for support instead distributing the weight across both legs evenly.

Found an interesting image online for a pelvic floor fix below.

3. Forward Head Posture

Very common for the computer/smartphone generation is forward head posture which can put uneven stress on the pelvic floor forcing it into a constant state of tension.

This posture defect is caused by very tight muscles on the back of the neck and weak muscles on the front of the neck. There is a simple exercise you can perform throughout the day by standing with your heels against the wall and tucking your chin is as if you are trying to make a double chin.

This video below should make it clearer :) 

That's it for now, all the best my fellow pelvic floor dysfunction people :)

The Psoas and the Pelvic Floor - Release the Psoas to Heal Pelvic Pain

Psoas and the Pelvic Floor

this is a post I've been looking forward to posting for some time now , and its all about the relation of a tight tense psoas muscle to pelvic floor dysfunction and pain.

The reason why having a happy and healthy (flexible and strong) psoas muscle is so important for people suffering pelvic floor dysfunction are

- A tense psoas muscle doesn't allow deep breathing (diaphragmatic breathing) and can encourage shallow breathing or the sucking in of your stomach muscles. Which put more pressure on our pelvic floor muscle as they remain constantly subtly contracted.

- The Psoas is often referred to the fight or flight muscle and is responsible for holding much of our emotional stress and pain. When you are scared , angry or sad without knowing you may be unconsciously contracting your psoas muscle in a protective manner. Overtime the psoas becomes chronically tight and pulls on the muscles of the pelvic floor.

- The psoas muscle is the only muscle to connect our spine to our leg. The muscle is made up of two muscles the Psoas Major and the Iliacus. The psoas attaches from the lower back down to the upper thighbone. Common signs of a tight psoas muscle include donald duck posture (bum sticking out and pot belly), lower back pain and of course pelvic floor dysfunction as the tight psoas muscles pulls the psoas out of alignment.

There are many ways to go about fixing Donald duck posterior or what is referred to as anterior pelvic tilt or hyper lordosis but I will cover them in a future post for now lets release that Psoas Muscle.

Release the Psoas and health pelvic floor

Not only will releasing the psoas ease tension in your body and pelvic floor it will also bring some peace to a restless anxious mind. You may think this is a bit far fetched but please give it a try and find some relief as I have.

The Psoas trigger points are shown on the diagram below

and I've also added a useful image on locating the psoas

Technique

The psoas is quite a deep muscle and it may take a bit of digging around to find it but when you do you may feel a slight pull running down your leg. Remember if you experience that throbbing feeling you most likely on the artery and you should move away from the midline as described in the above image.

The best way to hit the psoas I have found is by using the theracane , and lying with knee's to one side as in the picture above and really putting pressure on the psoas muscle and work my way up and down until that area is no longer painful to manipulate. I use my right hand on the curve of the theracane to rock from side to side and hit the muscle from different angles while the left hand pushed down and provides varying levels of pressure.

Its also worth noting that trigger points can develop on the lower back and they are also worth kneading out with your theracane or massage ball against a wall. In my experience my left psoas was a lot tighter than the right throwing my pelvic floor out of alignment , it also translated to very tight muscles on the left side of my back near the spine.

Very Important to remember, be conscious that you are not contracting your pelvic floor during the psoas release as I found myself doing this quite often and had to keep reminding myself. It can be quite painful releasing the psoas so its very common to brace your pelvic floor muscles but we are going for release here so consciously relax and unclench.

There you have it , I can't express how much of a revelation this has been for me. The Holy Grail some call it but once you find your psoas and release it you can finally start healing inside and out.

Some Benefits I have noticed which I hope you do too

- Happier Mood, Less Stressed ( Yes Honestly :P)

- More Relaxed Pelvic Floor

- Lower back feels happier

- I can finally take some deep belly breaths , something I am very happy about as it helps with my meditation and relaxation exercises.

 Goodluck everyone I hope you found this post useful and all the best until next time :).

3 Habits that Cause Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - Changing Bad Habits

There are many habits that we all carry in our daily lives that contribute to pelvic pain and dysfunction. These habits may just be a part of our posture, our walk or we may have picked it up somewhere along in our lives. Here we go Top 3 and we can make a change Today.

1. Standing on one leg

This one is very common for people complaining of pelvic pain or dysfunction its the daily habit of leaning on one leg or favoring a particular leg when standing up. Instead of distributing your weight over both legs evenly one leg takes the brunt of the weight.

This habit is very common when standing for long periods of time you may find it more comfortable to shift your weight to your preferred leg and rest on it like a kick stand.

This habit can cause major dysfunctions in the pelvic floor in the long run and if the habit is not changed it will often lead to muscle tightness and loss of the full range of motion of your leg muscles.

The main issue here is that the hip flexors and extensors muscles become overly tight and bound up which can be a very serious issue as the psoas (hip flexor muscle) which is attached to the lower spine and pelvis can become chronically tight to the point were it will start to lift one side of your pelvis higher than the other. When your pelvis is out of alignment this can cause muscle spams and pain over time.

If there was one habit you can stop today , its this one and I urge you to consciously make an effort to distribute the weight evenly to keep your pelvic happy and healthy. Will post an article on correction exercises shortly:). The main corrections for this will include psoas stretches (warrior pose, pigeon pose, fire hydrant exercises but I will cover them in more detail in a future post)

2. Sitting down for long periods of time

This is the number one habit that can sometimes be impossible to avoid especially when your work requires sitting down infront of a computer screen for long periods of time.

Much like favoring one leg, sitting down for long periods of time will cause muscles imbalances and will therefore eventually effect pelvic floor stability.  A few things you can do to help prevent posture issues will then lead to pelvic floor issues are

- Stand up and take a walk every hour
- Perform Psoas stretch (warrior pose image below) throughout the day
- Breathing exercises for the back and neck to avoid forward head posture

I will cover specifics in upcoming posts but the other option would be to see if your workplace would be able to offer a standing work desk solution. I am currently experimenting with a standing desk and it can take a while to get used to, it also brings on a whole lot of different concerns when it comes to standing for long periods of time.

3. Stress and the pelvic floor

Stress and the pelvic floor, definitely a topic that deserves its own post but in short the pelvic floor takes a beating from our emotions and in times of stress or anxiety we often rely on our pelvic floors to store all our tension and pain.

The pelvic floor is often used as a defense mechanism , say we are startled by a loud noise or angry about something we may find ourselves unconsciously contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor and holding them inwards. This chronic behaviour of tensing the pelvic floor muscles creates an environment inhospitable for nutrients and proper blood flow which then leads to more pain and dysfunction. This is often referred to as the stress, pain , anxiety cycle where we are feeding our dysfunction and it takes on a life of its own.

I will definitely be doing another post dedicated stress, anxiety and the pelvic floor and hope to release it soon but for now when you feel stressed take a look at your pelvic muscles , take a deep belly breath and release the muscles. It can go a long way to relaxing your body and calming your mind.

as always I hope that helped and wish everyone the very best with their pelvic floors :) treat them nicely

Best Stretch for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - Ease Pelvic Tension

Jean Claude Van Damme Pelvic Floor Specialist :)

I thought I was going to save this post for later on but I just received an email from a fellow pelvic floor pain sufferer requesting stretches and exercises for pelvic floor pain and tension and it motivated me to post this one.

This is by far my favourite stretch for pelvic floor and if you really relax into it can bring amazing results. After doing this stretch for a while I would finally feel my natural ability to relax the pelvic floor and dare I say it I may have broke wind due to my relaxation. Sorry for that image back to it, here we go!

The Splits

That's right its the splits, I can see the dread on your faces but this is not just an exercise for little gymnasts and ballet dancers. Can you remember the last time you stretched in any way that resembled a split stretch. Most likely not and its an amazing stretch that can target

-> Tight hamstrings and Calves

-> Posterior or Anterior tilted Pelvis

-> Abductors

-> IT band

Steps

So we are not going to go all out and perform your regular splits stretch we are going to be doing a Static Wall Stretch (Always Warm up before a stretch, never stretch cold)

1. Find a wall large enough for you to spread your legs against. Move yourself up close to the wall so that you are sitting side on to the wall with your right or left hip touch the wall.

2. Swing your legs up so they are vertical against the wall.

3. Waddle your bum back slowly so you are able to maintain a neutral curve in your spine

4. Rotate your feet outwards so your pinky toe is closest the wall 

5. Try and relax and let gravity bring your legs down

6. Sit out here for 2-5 minutes, take it easy it can be quite a shock at first and you made find it hard to relax especially with tight hamstrings and tendons.

7. When you are relaxed you can also use your hands on your pelvic floor to find any trigger points and slowly knead them out. Remember to relax as much as possible.

8. When your finished slowly bring your legs closer together and gently bend your knees to your chest. You may feel some pain in your legs which is very normal after never having stretched like before.

 Similar to this one but feet more outwards and pinky toe close to the wall, obviously this lady has done the split stretch before and you shouldn't expect to go so low with your feet.

Need Some Assistance

You may find that the wall split stretch is not working for you or you just don't have a wall big enough for your luscious legs. Well never fear you can either do a traditional split on the carpet or try a Leg stretcher device to perform the stretch.

I use a simple leg stretcher which is made up of 3 metal rods and handles to help achieve a stronger stretch without the need for a wall. The simple metal pole leg stretchers are quite cheap but there are also more advanced versions with pulleys and winding mechanisms. (device I use below)

That's all folks, I really do hope it helps you out as it has honestly helped me greatly in regaining my flexibility and letting my pelvic floor feel relaxed.

External Massage for Pelvic Floor Pain - Trigger Point Myofascial Release

Massage and myofascial release can be one of the most useful tools for fighting chronically tight and painful pelvic floor muscles. When the muscles of the pelvis are chronically tight or spasm'ing non stop throughout the day this can leave the muscles tightly bound and full of painful trigger points.

External massage can be especially useful for people who are a bit squeamish about doing an internal massage on themselves. Its a great place to start exploring your pelvic floor , finding your trigger points and bringing you some relief. Finally time to start healing the pelvic floor.

When performing a external massage to pelvic floor I concentrate on the Glutes Piriformis, Pubococcygeus and Levator Ani muscles which make up the bulk of the pelvic floor muscles. The levator Ani muscle is especially prone to holding painful trigger points as this is the muscle responsible for the upwards pelvic floor contraction, and is responsible for holding painful tension in your pelvic floor muscles.

 Method

Before you being make sure to find a quiet place where you will have 10-15 minutes free without being disturbed. So you can fully relax and get the most out of the massage session. I find it best to do 5-10 minutes before a morning or evening shower.

1. You will be massaging your pelvic floor with your hands so it is important to maintain proper hygiene practices. You can get some examination gloves from your local chemist or online , I usually go for the vinyl powder free examination gloves as they are fairly cheap and have close no chance of causing skin irritations or allergic reactions.

2.  Put on the examination gloves, and either lie on your back or stand up with one foot propped up on a low stool. The standing position may be the best for easy access as you will be going for some hard to reach places :).

3. You can begin the massage by exploring the muscles the wind around your anus, and searching with your fingers for any painful area's or parts that may feel gristly. Take it gently, relax and listen to your body. There is no right way to massage at this point its really going to be about finding trigger points. A trigger point will be any area that responds with pain to the touch, A happy supple muscles will not be painful when manipulated.

4. When you find a painful area , you can push the pads of your fingers into that area with a circular pushing motion or by simply holding constant pressure until the pain lessens.You will eventually increase blood flow to these muscles and breath new life into them and it can be quite a pleasant experience.

5. Go around every nook and cranny and find trigger points, knead them out and continue. Remember to take it easy as these muscles will take some time to get used to being massaged. After a massage give body time to heal and process the new oxygenated blood coming through.

6. Repeat the massage 3-4 times a week or as often as required.

Theracane

I recently purchased a theracane to knead out some trigger points in my hips and lower back and found it very useful for performing discrete pelvic floor massages as well. You use the handles on the theracane to get a nice Glutes Piriformis release.

It is great for targeting larger groups of muscles and definitely has its place in my arsenal of massage equipment but will never be quite as precise as using a gloved hand to find trigger points which can sometimes be like searching for a needle in hay stack.

Internal Massage

After all that here I am talking about internal massage again, I wish I could just ignore it but to be honest internal massage can be extremely valuable and its probably the most common procedure that a pelvic floor specialist will perform on you to examine your pelvic floor health.

An Internal massage gives you the ability to manipulate muscles from a totally different angle and also allows for a great number of stretching exercises. I know many people turn there nose up to get anywhere near their rear ends but that's exactly the problem right there, We are so disconnected its like we ignore that poor little peep hole because of its dirty history. He/She is part of us and deserves to be treated as such and only then will it heal.

Well enough of my blabbing , I shall publish a post on internal massage shortly or perhaps a different topic first. Stay Tuned if anyone is reading :P

Biofeedback Devices for Pelvic Floor Pain - Using Electromyography and Biofeedback for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Biofeedback devices are very popular for retraining the pelvic floor for suffers of pelvic floor pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. There are a few types of Biofeedback machines these are

-> Pressure Based Biofeedback Machines - These work by inserting a balloon type probe into the anus and measuring the built up air pressure around the probe. Usually a lot cheaper then the next type of device.

-> EMG biofeedback device -> An EMG or Electromyography biofeedback device is more high tech than a simple pressure biofeedback device as it will pick up electrical signals from your muscle contractions to determine your pelvic floor tension or relaxation.

-> Pressure or EMG device with inbuilt electrical stimulation - mostly used for training the pelvic floor much like a kegel without any effort but can be useful in some cases , explanation below. (note * kegels are never recommended for people suffering pelvic floor dysfunction.)

There are basically two main ways in which a biofeedback device will help bring relief to your pelvic floor.

1. Retrain the Pelvic Floor

The first is to retrain the pelvic floor so that you can develop a stronger body mind connection. The aim is to be able to determine exactly from the biofeedback device when you are contracting your pelvic floor and when you are relaxing.

This is particularly useful for people who find that when they are in the bathroom and trying to defecate that not matter how hard they push nothing comes out. Pelvic floor dysfunction often causes constipation as people unconsciously tighten and contract their pelvic floor instead of relaxing it which makes it almost impossible to have a happy bowel movement.

In my experience a biofeedback device is somewhat useful in helping you consciously feel a relaxed pelvic floor, and the difference between a contracted pelvic floor and a neutral/relaxed one.

Important:  Some people with pelvic floor dysfunction can experience excruciating pain when anything is entered inside the anal canal. I too have felt this before and I would describe it as a strong kind of ballooning pain where the pain slowly increases and then dissipates in a matter of about 15 seconds. For those people it is highly recommended to avoid the use of biofeedback devices. Experiment with a gloved finger first to determine your level of sensitivity.

I know this is not always possible but it is highly recommended you use a pelvic floor biofeedback device with the assistance of a trained pelvic floor specialist.

The Method

The method for using a biofeedback is quite simple. First of all make sure that your hands are clean and you have used a water syringe in your anus for hygiene purposes.  This is not strictly neccessary but can make the experience much cleaner and less off putting.

Once you are all cleaned up and ready to go , Lubricate the anal probe and while lying on your back with your knees bend and feet flat on the floor, gently insert the probe in your anus. Once the probe is inserted as comfortably as possible you can pick up the biofeedback device and establish a baseline level for your resting pelvic floor tension.

Once you have established your baseline, you then bring the machine back to zero and perform kegel contractions to determine the strength of your pelvic floor or maintain a relaxed state to see if you are able to relax the pelvic floor consciously. This can also be useful for finding trigger points for example you could massage your upper thighs or legs and see if this is causing you to perform involuntary kegels.

The EMG device will have much the same procedure but will give you more accurate/complicated readings.

2. Break the Muscle Spasm Cycle

Normally an electrical stimulation that forces you to contract your pelvic floor is not a good thing but it can sometimes be used to break a muscle spasm cycle. Say for example you find you have very twitchy pelvic floor muscles which spasm painfully you can use an electrical stimulation device to force contractions for desired duration or intervals in order to break a pattern.

Conclusion

Many of you with pelvic floor dysfunction may be interested in buying a biofeedback device and to some extent I believe they can be helpful especially to monitor involuntary muscle contractions and bring them under control.

The only issue is that when establishing baseline pelvic floor tension you may find that your relaxed state is not in fact a relaxed state so its not really an appropriate place to begin from. For people who have been holding tension for months or years even a relaxed pelvis can feel tight and painful.

I have tried all 3 types of devices Pressure, EMG and Electrical stimulation at great expense and could only really recommend the cheapest pressure biofeedback device to satisfy any curiosity you have in the effectiveness of these types of devices.

Not sure how interested people are but I will review the specific devices I have used , the PFX pressure biofeedback device, and the Neen Peritone electrical and biofeedback devices.

That's all folk's , hang in there and all the best :)

Welcome to the Pelvic Pain Diary

Hello All, Welcome to the Pelvic Pain Diary

a blog dedicated to exploring the hell which is pelvis floor dysfunction , I have basically tried every possible solution to my pelvic floor dysfunction and I am finally finding some relief. The days of feeling as if I was sitting with a golf ball stuck inside me are slowly starting to fade and I am finally beginning to experience what a relaxed and happy pelvic floor feels like.

 Most people believe that pelvic floor pain is a female only issue most commonly brought on after childbirth but I can tell you that is totally untrue. Anyone with a pelvic floor and that means everyone can suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction.

For men pelvic floor pain most commonly gets diagnosed by the doctor as Prostatis , Prostate Inflammation , Prostate Bacteria or Infection. We are given a course of antibiotics and are sent on our way but the fact is 95% of men complaining of pelvic floor issues do not have anything remotely wrong with their prostate (source coming soon) and when proper fluid tests are carried out very rarely are infections found.

So if its not the prostate causing our pelvic floor issues, what is it?  Basically its down to 2 things, A Muscular disorder and Bad Habits. It may sound a bit ridiculous that a simple case of poor posture or excessive sitting with poor posture can cause such chaos in your life but for me this has been exactly the case as years of sitting like a caveman have finally caught up to me and have started to takes it toll on my life. It's time to make a change and I hope to help many other men find some relief and heal their pelvic floor dysfunction.

Just a few of the things I have used with mixed results to try and heal my Pelvic pain and dysfunction are

• Internal and External Massage (Levator Ani massage)
• Posture Correction to realign Pelvic floor
• Cognitive Behavioral therapy
• Warm Baths (Sitz) and Exercise
• Accupuntue and Electro -acupuncture
• Stetches and Exercises
• Biofeedback Devices (Peritone)

 Some Common causes of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

• Childbirth
• Weightlifting
• Bad Habits
• In rare cases Prostate issues
•  Poor Posture
• Muscular imbalance