Your pelvic floor is a hidden powerhouse within your body, often unrecognized until symptoms like discomfort, incontinence, or muscle tightness appear. But with just a few proactive practices, you can support this crucial area, helping it maintain its strength, flexibility, and resilience over time.

A healthy pelvic floor supports your core, bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs, impacting both physical and emotional wellness. Whether you’re focused on long-term maintenance or addressing specific concerns, this guide provides expert tips on hygiene, tools, techniques, and daily practices that can transform your pelvic health—straight from the insights of a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

The Journey to Pelvic Health

Understanding Your Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor consists of muscles and connective tissues that form a supportive “hammock” across the base of your pelvis, supporting organs like the bladder, uterus, and rectum. These muscles stabilize your core, assist in urinary and bowel control, and play an important role in sexual function.

Much like any other part of the body, your pelvic floor benefits from balanced care—strengthening, relaxation, and thoughtful habits that prevent strain and support resilience. Let’s explore how to best care for it.

Vulvovaginal Hygiene: Building a Strong Foundation for Health

Good hygiene supports your vulvar health and helps prevent infections, discomfort, and irritation. Here’s how to create a strong foundation for your pelvic health:

• Select Gentle, unscented Cleansers: Choose mild, unscented cleansers specifically for the vulva. Harsh chemicals, including those found in soaps with salicylic acid or other acids, can disturb the area’s natural pH and lead to irritation. A gentle cleanser helps keep this sensitive area healthy.

• Limit Over-Washing: Over-cleansing can strip natural oils and disrupt the area’s microbiome, leaving it more susceptible to irritation.

• Practice Proper Wiping Technique: Always wipe from front to back to avoid introducing bacteria from the rectal area, which can help prevent urinary tract infections.

• Avoid Over-Wiping: Over-wiping and scrubbing the vulva can cause skin irritation. In case of dryness or irritation, consider pat-drying instead of wiping multiple times.

• Choose Breathable Fabrics: Underwear made of breathable, natural fabrics like cotton reduces moisture build-up and allows for better airflow, minimizing the risk of infections.

• Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water is essential for urinary health, as it helps flush out bacteria and supports regular function, which indirectly benefits the vulvar health.

Tools to Enhance Pelvic Floor Strength & Flexibility

While regular movement and awareness are key to pelvic health, certain tools can support and enhance your efforts:

• Kegel Weights: Weighted devices, often called Kegel weights or balls, can assist with Kegel exercises, which are isolated pelvic floor muscle training, by providing gentle resistance. They come in various weights to suit different fitness levels, but it’s important to consult a pelvic floor physiotherapist before starting to ensure safe and effective use.

• Biofeedback Devices: Biofeedback monitors muscle activity, making it easier to identify and activate the correct pelvic floor muscles. This is particularly helpful for those unsure about their technique or looking to track progress.

• Foot Stools for the Bathroom: Using a footstool (like a Squatty Potty) helps position your body naturally, supporting complete bowel movements without straining. This simple addition can be invaluable in reducing pressure on your pelvic floor muscles.

• Massage Balls and Foam Rollers: If muscle tightness is a concern, foam rollers or massage balls can release tension in areas surrounding the pelvic floor, like the hips and lower back, improving flexibility and circulation.

• Pelvic Wands: Pelvic wands are great tools to help address tension in the pelvic floor muscles and help release tender spots that can be felt as a deep, dull pain during certain activities such as intercourse.

Essential Techniques for Strengthening and Relaxing the Pelvic Floor

Pelvic floor health requires a careful balance of strength and relaxation. Overly tight muscles can cause as much trouble as weak ones, so a balanced approach is key:

• Strengthening Exercises: Kegels are mostly known as the fundamental exercises for strengthening the pelvic floor. However, it is important to understand that Kegels, which are isolated pelvic floor exercises, are not effective if they are not ultimately incorporated into general, functional and whole-body exercises. Consider consulting a pelvic floor physiotherapist for assessment of your muscle coordination and strength and for guidance on proper form and frequency.

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing is the foundation of a healthy core including the pelvic floor. It is through the diaphragm that the pelvic floor muscles can lengthen and relax effectively. Diaphragmatic breathing is not the same as belly breathing; the focus of diaphragmatic breathing is to calmly direct the breath into the side of the lower ribcage instead of a forced breath into the belly. This should be done calmly to allow the pelvic floor muscles to relax.

• Pelvic Floor Relaxation Techniques: Stretching exercises like a child’s pose, happy baby, and hip openers can reduce muscle tightness in the pelvic floor. Pair these with controlled exhalations to help the area relax. For some, relaxation is more beneficial than strengthening, especially if the tone of the pelvic floor muscles is high and the muscles are tense.

• Mindful Core Engagement: Over-engaging the abdominal muscles can place unnecessary pressure on the pelvic floor. Rather than constantly “sucking in” your stomach, aim for controlled, balanced core activation with exercises, and allow your abdominal wall to relax when you’re at rest.

Everyday Habits for Pelvic Floor Health

Small, consistent habits make a big difference in supporting your pelvic floor:

• Use Proper Technique when lifting: Engage your pelvic floor and core and exhale during the lift. This reduces the stress placed on your pelvic floor.

• Avoid Hovering Over the Toilet: When you “hover,” your pelvic muscles can’t fully relax, making it harder to empty your bladder completely. Sit fully to encourage complete relaxation and avoid unnecessary strain.

• Say No to "Just-in-Case" Bathroom Trips: While it’s tempting to empty your bladder “just in case,” this can train your brain to signal the need to urinate prematurely. Only go when you feel a genuine urge, to support a healthy, consistent bladder routine.

• Incorporate Regular Movement: Consistent movements support circulation and flexibility in the pelvic region and help maintain function in all the muscles in the body including the pelvic floor.

The Importance of Regular Check-ins with a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist

A healthy pelvic floor impacts so many aspects of life, from physical stability to emotional well-being. Prioritizing this area of your body and taking these steps can support not only symptom relief but also long-term resilience.

Even if you’re symptom-free, annual visits to a pelvic floor physiotherapist provide a proactive approach to maintaining your health. A physiotherapist can assess the strength, flexibility, and coordination of your pelvic floor muscles, identifying any imbalances or subtle signs that could lead to issues down the road.

Much like visiting a dentist or a general physician for a check-up, these appointments offer preventative care, equipping you with guidance tailored to your individual needs. Your physiotherapist can also teach you proper techniques, adjust your exercise regimen, and ensure you’re on track for lifelong pelvic health.

Why Choose Ova in Burnaby, BC?

At Ova, we specialize in pelvic floor physiotherapy for women's health, offering compassionate, expert care to support your journey. Conveniently located in Burnaby, British Columbia, we proudly serve residents of Burnaby, the Lower Mainland, and throughout British Columbia.

Our services cover a wide range of women's health needs, including pregnancy-related care, postpartum recovery, pelvic health, sexual health, and conditions such as incontinence and pelvic pain. We provide the highest quality care with specialized treatments like Biofeedback therapy, Ultrasound Treatment for Clogged Milk Ducts, and virtual pelvic floor physiotherapy.

At Ova, we understand the urgency of some conditions like Severe Pelvic Pain or Clogged Milk Ducts, which is why we offer Emergency Appointments specifically for these issues. These sessions are designed to provide immediate relief, with focused attention outside regular hours to address your pain and discomfort promptly.

We believe in a holistic approach to pelvic health, emphasizing pain management, recovery, and overall wellness. Our goal is to ensure that you receive care tailored to your specific needs in a warm and supportive environment.