Pelvic floor: far from the eyes, far from the heart?

The pelvic floor is a somewhat hidden area, of which we forget too often: far from the eyes away from the heart as the proverb says, yet it is a fundamental structure For the physical and sexual well -being of eachə of us. To get to know him better and acquire awareness we made a chat with the Dr. Anna Buroli, physiotherapist specialized in rehabilitation of the pelvic floor.

Good morning Anna, would you like to tell us what the pelvic floor is? And what prompted you to deepen this aspect of rehabilitation?  

The pelvic floor is a set of muscle, binding and fascial structures that close the lower part of the abdominal cavity whose function is to support the internal organs. In addition to this, it is an essential structure for some physiological functions such as urinating and defecating, and allows sexual activity.
During the three -year degree, the rehabilitation of the pelvic floor is faced, perhaps due to immaturity and embarrassment between classmates, without the same consideration with which the orthopedic area is studied instead. When you enroll in physiotherapy, you absolutely do not think you can become specialists in the rehabilitation of the pelvic floor.
In the last period, fortunately, we are witnessing a cultural change in this sense. It is more and more talking about it, the desire to normalize the topics deemed until recently is emerging and the need to improve the disability that certain clinical conditions entail, restoring the quality of life of people. I decided to approach the rehabilitation of the pelvic floor by feeling the need to be a piece of this change.

What are the frequent alterations at the level of the pelvic floor and how can these affect our daily life?

In the female sex, the most common alterations are certainly linked to a weakening of the pelvic floor, which can cause episodes of urinary incontinence and prolapse of the internal organs.
The loss of muscle tone and the structure of the connective tissue is mainly due to age, but other factors such as pregnancies and the number and results of the parts can come into play. In most of these cases the problem is that awareness is missing, before pregnancy or during, what the pelvic floor is and that it is possible to act with prevention: often it is not even indicated to perform specialist assessments after childbirth.
For this reason, most women are not aware of how frequent it is to have post -birth losses and which in any case is not to be considered normal. Every woman after childbirth should receive an evaluation of the state of the pelvic floor and its strength with consequent educational suggestions or a plan of rehabilitation exercises just as it happens for any other body district following a trauma or that you want to maintain efficient over the years.
Another very frequent condition is that of pelvic pain that can be given, among other things, by a great tone of the pelvic musculature involving pains or impossibility to penetration and sexual intercourse.
These are all conditions that lead those who suffer from it to limit themselves a lot in social and sexual activities, with a heavy psychological relapse and a remarkable reduction in the quality of life.

But do the alterations at the level of the pelvic floor concern only the female sex?

Absolutely not. As regards the male population, the most common problem takes place following radical prostatectomy interventions (surgical removal of the prostate), in this case people often are aimed at embarking on rehabilitation paths.
Even in man, however, there may be pain at a pelvic level: it remains a difficult problem of esteem as it is rare that the person turns to professionals looking for help, for the embarrassment that this can create.

The pelvic floor is therefore a structure whose health and functionality is essential to ensure good quality of life: how can we take care of it?

I believe that the first step is to make everyone aware of how much the pelvic floor should be considered like other parts of the body.
Today there is a lot of talk of prevention, well -being, maintenance of the physical state. I don't understand why you take care of your body, trying to improve nutrition, training to stay healthy and to prevent accidents and the same is not done for a part of the body that has a fundamental importance for the performance of primary functions And to live a healthy and serene sexual life. Too little is still talked about, even among acquaintances. Often I find myself with people who talk to me about incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain and trust me not to have talked about it even with the Amicə closerə, As they think they are not widespread problems and are ashamed of them. Any loss of urine or feces is not normal, any type of prolapse is not normal, any type of pain is not normal. There are really many different situations and often for each there is a solution or at least a way in which you can work to improve the quality of life. 

Just as prevention in all other areas, allə We should undergo periodic checks from the specialists who are certainly able to evaluate the person's state of health, without fear of asking questions and without being embarrassed if you notice unclear events.
In the case of the female population then, pre- and post-partum it is necessary to make a specific visit for the pelvic floor and be educated

ə and train

ə to the exercises necessary for the prevention and treatment of possible dysfunctions.

Beatrice equal