.png){kind=logo}
Some patients come to pelvic floor therapy because they have to go to the bathroom (pee) too often and it is disrupting their lives. Pelvic floor therapy can help!
In the clinic we will often do a pelvic exam (if the patient feels comfortable) and assess if the pelvic floor muscles are tight or weak. Surprisingly, the pelvic floor muscles are often tight and not weak.
Why Kegels Aren't The Answer
I know, we always hear that we should do kegels because we have to pee a lot because we have "a weak bladder." I'm here to tell you, that isn't usually the case.
Often people have to pee frequently because the pelvic floor muscles are tight and they aren't allowing the bladder to fully expand and hold more urine. That is one cause. So if that is the case, we definitely don't do more kegels, but we work on trying to be able to relax the muscles more. That training can come in different forms, depending on the client. Sometimes it is breathing exercises, stretches, or reverse kegels.
Track Your Bladder Habits To Learn How Often You Go To The Bathroom
Another thing I have clients do is track how often they go to the bathroom. This gives us a baseline to work with. I attached the bladder diary, as we call it, so you can see and track yourself if you want. You can also track what you eat and drink, if there is urgency and any leakage. Sometimes what and how we eat and drink can affect how often we need to go to the bathroom. It is nice to see it all in one place.
I usually recommend tracking it for at least 3 days so we can see trends, and sometimes we have "off" days, so one day may not be indicative of how your bladder is functioning. 3 days of tracking is the minimum, sometimes 5 is better. This isn't something you need to do forever, just initially and then after some time of changing habits we will track again to see changes.
Try tracking your bladder habits for a few days and see if you notice any trends. If you need help with this issue we are seeing clients in the clinic and virtually. (No showing of pelvis' in virtual visits, but we can guide you on exercises, stretches, bladder re-training).
Want More Help?
I also created an online course that will take you step by step through the process of how to retrain your bladder so you don't feel like you are constantly going to the bathroom. It follows the exact process I teach my clients in the clinic, no kegels necessary!
You can access the course here.