Exercises key to a healthy
We generally associate having a poor pelvic floor with incontinence. But for former Australian netball captain Sharelle McMahon, the signs that something was wrong with her pelvic floor were different.
‘‘Pain around my pelvis, and a bit of instability there was the main way it showed up for me,’’ the mother of two recalls.
McMahon, 40, first experienced problems after the birth of her son, Xavier, in 2012. Returning to the court for the 2013 season, she underwent 12 months of physiotherapy to alleviate the pain she was experiencing.
‘‘I had to restrict training because I was in so much pain.’’
Melbourne physiotherapist Annabelle Citroen says a poor pelvic floor can initially reveal itself in a variety of circumstances.
‘‘Anything from someone feeling like they need to get to the toilet urgently to the odd bit of leakage with a cough or sneezing, laughing, [or] playing sport,’’ she says, adding that high impact sports, like netball, give people the most grief.
Sometimes the pelvic floor simply doesn’t function as it should.
‘‘Women may experience painful intercourse, or difficulty putting a tampon in, or they may have pain generally in the pelvic region,’’ explains Citroen. ‘‘And that can be an indication that the pelvic floor muscles might be working a bit too hard or holding onto some increased tension, so they might need to be trained to let it go.’’
If untreated, a weak pelvic floor can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, where the pelvic organs – the bladder, bowel or uterus – fall through the vagina.
While most women know that they should be doing pelvic floor exercises (also known as ‘‘Kegels’’, after United States gynaecologist Arnold Kegel), much of Citroen’s work is in correcting poor technique.
Despite being in tune with