Pelvic Floor Follow Up<br>Brent Anderson<br>Special 2415

Pelvic Floor Follow Up
Brent Anderson
Special 2415

Watch this Special Feature
2 people like this.
Hey Celine
I think PA should have a specialized workshop about Pilates and Prolapse, there are many people with these issues and more and more are beginning to speak openly about it. In regards to understanding the relationship between the diaphragm & PF etc, there are workshops on here that may answer that for you. Brent Anderson's workshop on 'Understanding the Pelvic Floor' & 'The Science of Breath' may answer that.
In regards to the prolapse -- you have to be really careful, doing roll ups, teasers or anything with flexion could make the prolapse worse. This is where breath is really important and looking at the posture (whether they are collapsing their upper bodies into their pelvis etc). It's really a whole body integration.
2 people like this.
(continued) If there is a prolapse they should see a Pelvic floor specialist to determine if the pelvic floor is weak or too tight and how they're using their breath and then... that needs to be applied to movement.
You can also check out Julie Wiebe, she's physio therapist specializing in women's health and movement, she has a video on youtube explaining the connection of the diaphragm and PF that may help you.
Hope this helps ;)
Part I.
HI all, these are great questions. I will start with Celine's question.
1. The core unit consists of the diaphragm, abdominal and posterior wall and the pelvic floor. We should think of the functional relationship between these structures to be spontaneous and elastic in nature. Much of the movement of the pelvic floor is elastic and eccentric based on the intra-abdominal pressure changes.
2. Breath is the best way according to our research to facilitate normal response to the abdominal wall and pelvic floor. If the abdominal wall or pelvic floor are hyper-tonic, then diaphragmatic breath will not be effective. We have seen this in many Pilates teachers that are over vigilant about contracting their abdominal and pelvic floor to a fault and ultimate loss of function and in some cases incontinence due to hyper-tonicity. BREATH
Part II
3. Intra-abdominal pressure is the really important when it comes to having too much pressure on the pelvic floor, especially when their is pathology like a prolapse, whether mild or severe. A great study by D Holder et. al looked at Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in Pilates teachers and compared it to a gold standard of sit to standing activity for IAP. What they discovered is that only one or two of the mat exercises in the intermediate repertoire came close to the IAP required to stand up from a chair. That being said I don't think you need to worry about creating too much pressure on the pelvic floor with all of the beginning exercises and most of the intermediate exercises. The point made by Roxana is correct in that good breathing technique can go a long way in minimizing IAP while improving the efficiency of the movement.

Part III.
Take home, do not cue muscle contraction of pelvic floor or abdominal wall when you can avoid it. Teach through alignment, load and temp when possible to optimize the learning experience. Trust exercises like kneeling Hamstring I on the chair to activate the pelvic floor automatically. Hope that helps. B
Isabel A
Thank you, Brent. This is ongoingly relevant...
11-16 of 16

You need to be a subscriber to post a comment.

Please Log In or Create an Account to start your free trial.

Footer Pilates Anytime Logo

Move With Us

Experience Pilates. Experience life.

Let's Begin