Pelvic floor issues can be very frustrating. Worrying about where the nearest toilet is…crossing your legs when you sneeze or laugh…avoiding jumping or running…

The majority of pelvic floor control is reflexive, so exercising your pelvic floor directly might not be enough. Here is a simple drill to fire your pelvic floor reflex and improve control.

Test

Range of motion (ROM) baseline:
* Forward fold with straight legs (touch your toes or the floor)
* Hip rotation to each side with feet under hips and palms together in front of you

Drills

For each lunge, twist your upper body toward your stepping leg
* Step one foot forward, twist, return to start
* Step one foot sideways, twist, return to start
* Step one foot sideways and rotate your hips, twist, return to start
* Repeat for the other side

Retest

Determine whether your ROM changed:
* Forward fold with straight legs (touch your toes or the floor)
* Hip rotation to each side with feet under hips and palms together in front of you

Improved ROM = the amount of reps you did relaxes you. Do that every day.
No change = neutral drill, you could try more reps.
Decreased ROM = drill is challenging and tightens up your body. Do it at a time that being a bit tight is OK for you.

Note. The retest doesn’t indicate whether the drill will help your pelvic floor issue. The twisting lunges should stimulate the pelvic floor reflex for everyone. The retest is an indication of how stressful the lunges are for you.

How to use it

To improve your pelvic floor control, do these lunges every day for a couple of weeks. If not satisfied with your progress, your pelvic floor reflex might remain inhibited. Contact me for more information or a free consultation. I’ve had great success helping people with this issue.

Could Applied Movement Neurology be the answer for you?