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
hi there, my name is laila.i live in the uk. you have no idea how overjoyed i am to have discovered your blog.! i have suffered with pelvic floor dysfunction for 27 years. i am now 47 and having seen doctors and physios at great cost i have had little relief or explanation. my main problem was constipation for which i have been on laxatives for 27 years. i have taken every supplement and tried every medication, exercise to relieve this problem except, it is only now i have come to realise that i have a pelvic floor dysfunction.. extremely tight anal sphincter, tight hips, tight groin, tight back, tight bottom and tight thighs hamstrings and calves!!! i am a keen runner and this has perhaps exacerbated the problem over the years! i want to give you a huge thank you for your wonderful research and blog which is so very highly informative. invaluable!! it has taken me years to finally find info online that describes and explains as well as provides solutions to pfd. so now i know i do not have ibs and constipation.. a devoted supporter of your blog. many many thanks..
ReplyDeleteHi Laila,I'm so glad you found my blog too :) and I can feel your pain as I have experienced exactly the same symptoms as you ( constipation and just all over chronic tightness in my muscles from the waist down. I do agree that running probably doesn't help most pelvic floor specialists recommend you avoid high impact exercise such as running to avoid contracting your pelvic floor muscles every time you hit the ground. I will be publishing a post on internal massage soon hopefully that will help you out and might be something to do after a running session so you don't suffer afterwards and can remain fit and healthy :) not sure if you will read this but just curious would you say you have an anterior tilted or posterior tilted pelvis. I have all the tight muscles you have and am in an anterior pelvic tilt
ReplyDeleteI am very thankful to you for giving such a beneficial guide to people suffering with tight pelvic floor muscles. I kept on Googling for six months for the cure of this problem, and finally found a site luckily which totally addresses my symptoms and gives solutions.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posts! I Am very grateful to have stumbled upon your page while searching for alternative options for pfd. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to inform and provide us alternative "holistic" healing for chronic pelvic pain. Your posts are very knowledgeable and encouraging and certainly uplifts me! Again, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi,,I am a 60 yr young male who has been suffering pelvic floor along with numerous other complications.I was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in 2007,and went under 25 radiation treatments along with 3 rounds of chemo,on my entire lower half,inclucding hips,pelvic,anal,genitals,lower back etc. Since the treatments,I'm happy to say that I'm in remission,however,from heavy doses of radiation,my right hamstring completely avilsed from my hip,causing it to retrack and land behind the knee.It was an unsuccessful repair trying to reattach,so it was removed. From compensating my gate,I collapsed 6 discs in my back,having 2 fusions.I am currently experiencing chronic pelvic floor issues as well as having a penile inplant. My bowels are uncontrllable and always spasing throughout.The genital areas are tender to touch as well as the tip of the penis. Can you offer advise and or what should a PT for pelvic floor recommend ? Thanks MSW
ReplyDeleteHi Unknown, thanks for taking the time to comment, I think it would definitely be wise to make an appointment with a pelvic floor specialist as collapsed discs and back problems are very common for those with pelvic floor issues.
Deleteas far as advice goes , with the amount of pain and discomfort you are experiencing the first step is always going to be to learn to relax, mentally and physically. I know that may not sound very helpful but and i did find for me it was the key to letting go and really unwinding
can you find a position where you are able to relax everything, for me this would be lying on the floor face up with my feet and calves resting on the bed. This allows for my back to sink into the floor and relax without having to support anything, i then place my hands by my sides palms up to rotate my shoulders outwards and then take deep breaths through my stomach to help relax tight psoas/hip flexor muslces. close your eyes and imagine yourself sinkng into the floor
hope you try this, let me know how you go
all the best, hang in there :) , will be happy to share some more tips i've found useful
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ReplyDeletehey, just wanted to say that I love your blog! Thanks for sharing all this great info, best resource I have found! I am in the beginning stages of conscious pelvic floor relaxation and this is all so helpful, thanks again x
ReplyDeleteHi Beanie,
ReplyDeleteI have been experiencing PFP for about a year & a half now. I believe it all started when they went in to remove a kidney stone trough my penis. About 2 months later I had 2 bouts of constipation that I beard down hard and I believe hurt myself. I felt my ani muscles spasming as I couldn't go. Been in pain ever since. Every bowel movement is a new experience. Some are worse than others. It is in one spot that really painful. I've had MRI, x-ray, and been to the Ano rectal surgeon. They diag me with Levator Ani Syn. I try the MFR, but it's hard with no privacy at home, wife & kids. Wife draws the line at touching me there. Don't blame her. Thanks for this blog, least I am not crazy..