Tension
The targeted tensing of the pelvic floor is a task that is very difficult to perform without instruction. Although the pelvic floor consists of deliberately controllable muscles, it is very rare to consciously tense these muscles alone. Fortunately, there are exercises that can be helpful in tensing the muscles of the pelvic floor.
It is usually helpful to do the exercises while sitting or lying down. To tense the pelvic floor, the sphincter muscle can be tensed so that at the same time the feeling is created that is felt when you stop urinating. To internalise the feeling that arises when the pelvic floor is tensed, the jet can be stopped several times when urinating in the toilet.
When the pelvic floor muscles relax again, the process of urinating should be continued. The same feeling should then occur when the pelvic floor is tensed without urinating. This exercise works because the muscles of the pelvic floor squeeze the urethra when tensed and interrupt the process of urination. Another exercise is to try to bring the penis/vagina closer to the anus with muscle power. With a bit of imagination, the pelvic floor muscles will then be tensed exactly.
Relaxation
The voluntary relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles is more difficult than the voluntary tensing of the same. The most effective way to achieve complete relaxation of the pelvic floor is to adopt a specific posture that makes this possible. The most relaxed position for the muscles of the pelvic floor is in a supine position with the legs bent and raised.
In this posture with simultaneous relaxed breathing and resting position, the pelvic floor muscles should also be maximally relaxed. Preventing postures and processes in which the pelvic floor muscles are involuntarily tensed can also ensure a relaxed pelvic floor. This creates very strong pressure on the pelvic floor, especially when sneezing.
The strain on the pelvic muscles can be reduced somewhat by deliberately tensing the pelvic floor. By avoiding long periods of standing, which also increases the pressure on the pelvic floor, the muscles there can be relieved. Lifting heavy objects also increases the tension on the pelvic floor and should be avoided if the pelvic floor is weak.
Summary
The pelvic floor is made up of various muscles, all of which together serve to close off the pelvis and secure the position of the organs lying within. A distinction is made between the pelvis diaphragm and the urogenital diaphragm, whose muscles perform different functions. However, all muscles serve primarily to maintain continence, which is why they can be tensed or relaxed at will for the most part.
Only in this way is controlled urination and defecation possible. For this reason, the urethra, rectum and, in women, the vagina break through the muscular layer of the pelvic floor and are thus enclosed by the muscles. However, the muscles of the pelvic floor can be very strained by constant heavy physical strain, births or severe overweight.
This can lead to slackening of the muscles and thus to incontinence. However, since the muscles can be trained like any other muscle as long as they are intact, it is possible to remedy this condition.
