Pelvic floor muscles
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Last reviewed: May 2018
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Pelvic floor muscle exercises Pelvic floor muscles Continence Foundation of Australia
Though a general fitness regime is good for you, one form of exercise is particularly beneficial in helping improve bladder and bowel control - pelvic floor muscle exercises.
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Pelvic floor muscle exercises - myDr.com.au
Find out about the causes and symptoms of a weak pelvic floor, and how performing pelvic floor muscle exercises can help.
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Common problems with pelvic floor muscles Pelvic floor muscles Continence Foundation of Australia
The pelvic floor muscles can sometimes become too loose and weak. This is a common problem for women because of pregnancy and childbirth. However, they can be successfully strengthened with pelvic floor muscle training. For men, common causes of weak pel
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Pelvic floor muscle exercises for men - myDr.com.au
Pelvic floor muscle exercises can help to restore bladder control after treatments for prostate cancer.
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Pelvic floor muscles The facts Continence Foundation of Australia
Having strong pelvic floor muscles gives us control over the bladder and bowel. Weakened pelvic floor muscles mean the internal organs are not fully supported and you may have difficulty controlling the release of urine, faeces (poo) or flatus (wind).
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Pelvic floor muscles in men Men Continence Foundation of Australia
Men: How do you find your pelvic floor muscles? How do you perform pelvic floor exercises?
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Pelvic floor muscles in women Women Continence Foundation of Australia
Ladies: How do you find your pelvic floor muscles? How do you perform pelvic floor exercises?
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Common myths The pelvic floor Pelvic Floor First
There are many myths about pelvic floor muscle exercises.
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Common myths Pelvic floor muscles Continence Foundation of Australia
There are many myths about pelvic floor muscle exercises. Here we explore the most common myths and misconceptions and reveal the truth between fact and fiction.
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The pelvic floor and core The pelvic floor Pelvic Floor First
The pelvic floor muscles form the base of the group of muscles commonly called the core.
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Top results
Comparisons of approaches to pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
Involuntary urine leakage (or incontinence) is a widespread condition experienced by about a quarter of women. Exercise for the pelvic floor muscles is often the first treatment women are offered. Improving the strength, endurance and co-ordination of the pelvic floor muscles can help decrease the urine leakage. This review included 21 studies in 1490 women and looked at whether one way of teaching, supervising or performing these exercises was better than another. Women who had regular and repeated contact with the person who taught them to do the exercises and monitored their progress were more likely to report they were improved after treatment. Further research is needed because there were problems interpreting the studies, which meant we could not draw any firm conclusions about many of the other possible ways of teaching, supervising or performing these exercises.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Feedback or biofeedback in addition pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
Women of all ages are affected by urinary incontinence. A common treatment is pelvic floor muscle exercises (also called pelvic floor muscle training) where the pelvic floor muscles are squeezed and lifted then relaxed several times in a row, up to three times a day. The exercises can help strengthen the muscles, improve muscle endurance (so the muscle tires less easily), and improve coordination (so the muscle squeezes hardest when the risk of leaking is greatest, e.g. with a cough or sneeze).
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Pelvic floor muscle training added to another active treatment versus the same active treatment alone for urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
Pelvic floor muscle training added to another active treatment versus the same active treatment alone for urinary incontinence in women
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Pelvic floor muscle training for prevention and treatment of urinary and faecal incontinence in pregnant women and women who have recently given birth | Cochrane
Pelvic floor muscle training for prevention and treatment of urinary and faecal incontinence in pregnant women and women who have recently given birth
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Vaginal weights for training the pelvic floor muscles to treat urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
Leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, or exercising (stress urinary incontinence) is a common problem for women. This is especially so after giving birth, when about one woman in three will leak urine. Training of the pelvic floor muscles is the most common form of treatment for this problem. One way that women can train these muscles is by inserting cone-shaped weights into the vagina, and then contracting the pelvic floor muscles to stop the weights from slipping out again.
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Conservative management of pelvic organ prolapse in women | Cochrane
Pelvic organs, such as the uterus, cervix, bladder or bowel, may protrude into the vagina because of weakness in the tissues that normally support them. The symptoms that they cause vary, depending on the type of prolapse. Conservative methods, such as pelvic floor muscle training (exercises to improve the pelvic floor muscles) or lifestyle changes (for example, avoiding lifting or losing weight), are commonly recommended for prolapse. The review looked for randomised trials of conservative methods, either to prevent or treat prolapse, from which to judge their effects.
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Non-invasive electrical stimulation for overactive bladder in adults | Cochrane
People with overactive bladder (OAB) have a frequent and compelling desire to urinate, which has a significant impact on quality of life. Many people with OAB also have urinary incontinence. OAB affects around 17% of the world's population and is particularly common in elderly people. Treatment for OAB includes pelvic floor muscle training, drug therapy and electrical stimulation.
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Pelvic floor muscle training added to another active treatment versus the same active treatment alone for urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
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Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment for urinary incontinence in women | Cochrane
Stress incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine with a physical activity such as coughing or sneezing. Urgency leakage occurs with a strong need to urinate, but the person cannot make it to the toilet in time. A combination of stress and urgency leakage is called mixed incontinence.
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Conservative management for men with urinary incontinence after prostate surgery | Cochrane
The prostate is a male sex gland that surrounds the outlet of the bladder. Two main diseases of the prostate (cancer of the prostate, and benign (non-cancerous) prostatic enlargement) can be treated by surgery but some men suffer leakage of urine (urinary incontinence) afterwards. Conservative treatments of the leakage such as pelvic floor muscle training with or without biofeedback or anal electrical stimulation are thought to help men control this leakage.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
