Pelvic Floor Exercises VS Magnetic Chairs

Physio&SoleClinic Pelvic Floor, Physiotherapy, Pre & Postnatal July 8 2022

Having a baby is undeniably one of the most amazing and life-altering moments of life. However, with all the celebrations and fuss over your new bundle of joy, it can sometimes be easy to forget that your body has just gone through a very intense physical and emotional experience. As such, it will take a while for you to recover and feel “normal” again. 

While your doctor and the people around you will give you advice about the delivery and caring for your newborn, very little attention is usually paid to the reality of postpartum symptoms and recovery. In addition to stretch marks, fluctuating hormones, and feeling emotional, many postpartum mothers also suffer from conditions such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, both of which are usually not openly discussed. 

Hence, in this blog, we’ll share more about the treatment options offered by our  women’s health physiotherapists and how they can help relieve the postpartum symptoms that you are experiencing. 

Postpartum Recovery

Your postpartum recovery will not be just for a few days; fully recovering from pregnancy and childbirth takes months. Even though many women and sources online claim that they feel mostly recovered by six to eight weeks postpartum, it can sometimes take longer  to feel like yourself again. During this time, do be patient with yourself by resting and eating well. 

In the first six weeks, it is very important for you to eat and drink well. Even though unhealthy foods and carbohydrates are within reach, you should still try your best to keep healthy foods stocked. Eating well helps to manage your energy levels and, at the same time, mitigate constipation. If you are breastfeeding, try to eat full-fat foods like fish, avocados, or even yoghurt to satiate hunger. Furthermore, avoid drinking coffee as it dehydrates you and could potentially lead to more sleep deprivation. Instead, hydrate yourself through the day with water, or alternatively, you can try lactation teas and coconut water for the additional electrolytes. 

Whether you have had a natural vaginal birth or a C-section, it will benefit you greatly to book an appointment to see a pelvic floor therapist. Though postnatal physiotherapy is an added cost, it brings about additional benefits, especially in the long run – your therapist will assess your core and back muscles, check on the healing of scar tissues (if any), and more importantly, they will examine your pelvic floor. 

Contrary to popular belief, C-section mums should also get their pelvic floor assessed, as you may also be at risk of urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.  Fret not, these conditions can be treated in Singapore with postnatal physiotherapy like pelvic floor exercises. 

Pelvic Floor Exercises 

Our pelvic floor muscles stretch like a hammock across the pelvis to hold the uterus, bladder, and bowel in place. These muscles also tighten when you do something that raises your abdominal pressure, like coughing or sneezing, to prevent urine from leaking. 

During pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscles stretch to make room for the growing baby. Over time, they can become weak from being weighed down, and instead of bouncing back to provide support, the weakened muscles may not return to their optimal position. Hence, you may notice that it becomes harder to control your bladder – a weakened pelvic floor makes it difficult to squeeze the muscles necessary to prevent urine from escaping your bladder. 

As such, many pregnant women and postpartum mothers are advised to see a women’s health physiotherapist in the beginning, to learn how to do pelvic floor or kegel exercises correctly so as to maintain their pelvic floor muscle tone. After childbirth, it is best to undertake pelvic floor exercises regularly as advised by your pelvic floor therapist. 

Magnetic Chair

For women suffering from more serious urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse, it will be necessary to do intense pelvic floor exercises. Alternatively, your women’s health physiotherapist may also recommend a magnetic chair treatment as part of your women’s health physiotherapy session. 

While the name may sound intimidating, this vibrating chair is a non-invasive treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to engage the pelvic floor muscles to allow them to contract rapidly. However, despite being an FDA-approved treatment, there are very few studies that have assessed the efficacy of safety for this procedure. 

At Physio and Sole Women & Children Centre, we do not offer Magnetic Chairs as a form of treatment. Instead, Electrical Stimulation is one of the alternative treatment options available, aside from pelvic floor exercises, for incontinence. Through an electrical muscle stimulation device, patients suffering from incontinence may see an improvement in function of their pelvic floor muscles. The electrically-induced contractions produce a similar effect to Kegel exercises. Furthermore, the stimulation also improves the process of regeneration of nerves controlling the pelvic floor. 

We recommend speaking to a pelvic floor therapist or women’s health physiotherapist to discuss the severity of your condition, before you invest in alternative treatment options to address issues with incontinence. 

Improve The Health Of Your Pelvic Floor 

Pregnancy and childbirth can put an enormous strain on your body, but there are now steps that you can take to improve the health of your pelvic floor.  Do not hesitate to ask for guidance when it comes to pelvic floor exercises – it can be tricky to know which muscles to squeeze and when. Depending on your needs, the physiotherapists at our clinic can suggest additional exercises or physiotherapy to help you. Ready to improve your pelvic floor health and say goodbye to postpartum conditions like urinary incontinence? Our team of women’s health physiotherapists can help. Contact us to schedule an appointment today.