Do you feel pressure, weakness or a heaviness in your vagina? Do you feel like something is falling out during activity?
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You may have a pelvic organ prolapse!
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Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles shaped like a basket. They work together to support your uterus, bladder, rectum and small intestine. They hold everything up, help with bladder, bowel and sexual function and work alongside the rest of your “core” to keep you nice and strong!
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Your bladder, urethra, uterus and rectum can all prolapse and cause issues. Most commonly we see prolapses after pregnancy 🤰 but you do not need to have had children 👶🏽 to get one!
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Contributing factors to a prolapse are:
🔹A weak pelvic floor
🔸Poor breathing mechanics such as straining or holding your breath
🔹High impact sports 🏃🏼♀️ and returning too early to high impact sports after giving birth 🤱🏼
🔸Tearing during childbirth
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The available treatments offered for a prolapse are: surgery, pessaries and pelvic floor physiotherapy.
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While some prolapses are significant enough to warrant surgery, it is unfortunately still being offered much too readily and quickly. The outcomes with prolapse repair are poor, there is a high recurrence rate and often complications can arise.
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Pessaries are medical devices that are inserted to help support a prolapse.
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Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a non-invasive, non-surgical, low risk way to treat the underlying cause of the prolapse. Pelvic PT can help address any breathing dysfunctions, improve postural issues and pelvic floor muscle strength 💪as well as educate on appropriate progression back to sport 🏋️ after pregnancy.
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Choose Pelvic PT!