More Pelvic Floor Myths Debunked

Common myths

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.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are easy to do

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are not always easy to do. The pelvic floor muscles are complicated muscles which are hard to isolate. It can take time to learn to feel the 'connection' and understand exactly which muscles should be working. It can takes several weeks of practice before you have an epiphany and finally get it right.

You learn pelvic floor muscle exercises from a leaflet or online

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can be learned from a leaflet or online by some people, but research shows that up to 50% of women trying to do pelvic floor muscle exercises learned this way get the technique wrong. For both men and women, practicing the wrong technique will not help and could even make the problem worse.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises don't work

Research shows that pelvic floor muscle exercises DO WORK and are effective for some types of incontinence such as stress incontinence and/or an overactive bladder causing urge incontinence. They can also help faecal incontinence when the cause of the problem is a weak pelvic floor. However, they will not work if there are other causes of urine or bowel motion leakage (for example, infection, inflammation or underlying bowel disease).

There is ample evidence to show that pelvic floor muscle exercises are effective when the exercises are done correctly and when taught and supervised by a professional.

If your 'do-it-yourself' pelvic floor muscle exercise program did not work, then chances are they were not done the right way. Get help from a health professional to confirm that your technique is correct and have an individualised training program specifically developed for your problem and the condition of your pelvic floor muscles.