2 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU ARE HYPERTONIC TO RELAX YOUR PELVIS
Do you have pelvic pain? Do you know if you need to relax? Did everybody tell you to train with Kegel balls? Here you will discover 2 ways to know if you are hypertonic for pelvic relaxation.
It took several years of my life before I came to understand the dynamics of cystitis and then those of interstitial cystitis and just as many to discover the importance of the pelvic muscles.
If you are interested in knowing more about Pelvic Floor Pathologies have a look at this article:
https://claudianicolai.com/which-yoga-practice-is-best-for-cystitis/
Pelvic pain and Cystitis? You might need Pelvic Relaxation
Getting to know Pelvic Pain and approaching the importance of pelvic relaxation is fundamental to getting to know one of the most common pathologies, also often underrated by doctors.
You probably already know that cases of cystitis are often underestimated and often do not come to medical attention, but about 50% -60% of women contract it at least once in their lifetime.
You will also know that 12% suffer from interstitial cystitis, which is distinguished by a non-infectious inflammation of the bladder, which causes pain, frequent urination, and incontinence. But you may not know that relaxing the pelvic floor could significantly improve all of this.
know your pelvic floor to let go of pain
To understand the importance of pelvic pain and relaxation, I would like to tell you more about Pelvic Floor. The pelvic floor is the set of muscles found in the pelvis and extending from the pubic bone to the tailbone, which in women supports the bladder, uterus, and intestines.
The function of the pelvic floor is to support and maintain the organs in the correct position, allowing us to control our urination and defecation functions, and also plays an important role in sexual activity and reproduction.
Hypertonicity and why you need to relax
When the pelvic floor does not relax properly, due in most cases to poor posture, stress, and workout, the muscles do not support the organs, and even these begin to not work as they should and you might feel pain.
Considering that the health of a muscle is determined by its ability to contract and relax when the pelvic floor goes into Hypertonicity (therefore extreme contraction), or Hypotonicity (extreme relaxation), then we have a dysfunction.
Interstitial Cystitis, IBS, and all the pathologies previously mentioned can aggravate because of Hypertonicity, which may occur for being in pain. This is why it is important to observe and study your body, learning to listen to it, when it sends you signals.
So pelvic relaxation seems to be the right direction to deal with pelvic pain.
Have a look at this article to know how Pranayama can help you relax your Pelvis:
https://claudianicolai.com/pranayama-and-pelvic-pain-how-breathwork-can-reduce-pain/
the 2 Ways To Know If You Are Hypertonic to let go of pelvic pain
Suffering from pelvic pain for many years, I started to study my pelvis to understand the condition of my pelvic muscles. So here is the first way that helped me to understand my pelvic condition to overcome pelvic pain:
- Pelvic Floor Biofeedback: Many Pelvic Floor Therapists use this method to understand the state of your muscles and also to train them. It is process that uses special sensors and a computer monitor to display information about muscle activity.
If you want to know more about it, you can find out more below:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29280115/
Because Pelvic Floor Biofeedback was quite expensive and I also needed to train by myself, I found a second way to do that. If you cannot consult a Pelvic Floor therapist or you just want to explore and know better your body, you can identify your pelvic muscles by yourself in this way:
- External massage: you can identify your pelvic floor muscles by yourself and feel any hypertonicity between your sitting bones, with your hand. This is also a great way to massage your muscles.
So if you suffer from cystitis or any other pathology related to your pelvis, consider the option of studying your body and contact a Pelvic Floor expert, to ask for help, and get the answers you need, to set your body free from pelvic pain.
If you want to start Yoga for Pelvic Pain, you can find my favourite props here:
Sources:
Leslie Howard, Pelvic Liberation – Leslie Howard Yoga (October 2, 2017)
Leslie Howard Yoga Teaching Training, Pelvic Floor YogaTM
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30576003/
