Having Pelvic Problems from Sitting Too Long? Tips to follow

Sitting is a part of human life that cannot be avoided, yet it comes with serious health risks like gaining weight and increasing your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Also, it makes the core muscles weaker and causes hip and gluteal muscles to change in ways you don’t like, leading to long-term back pain. 

When it comes to the pelvic floor, it's always preferable to prevent any damage from occurring in the first place rather than trying to repair it after.

In this article, we'll give you tips that will help you keep your pelvic health in top shape at all times. So let’s jump in.

What is Pelvic Floor?

Before we get into how to fix pelvic problems caused by sitting for long times, let's first talk about the pelvic floor. 

Your pelvic floor comprises muscles and connective tissues that support the bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs inside your pelvis. These muscles are essential for holding these organs in place and making it possible to urinate, poop, and have sexual activity.

With the help of other core muscles, the pelvic floor muscles allow your body to receive pressure from the outside, protecting your spine and organs. Also, these muscles help control how your bowels and bladder work, which helps you stay dry. 

In addition, they work with the urethra (the tube that carries pee out of the body) and the anus (where feces go) to regulate waste discharge. 

When the muscles relax, they get bigger, which lets you urinate and poop. 

Sitting for long periods can weaken the pelvic floor muscles, causing them to tighten; these passages get smaller, which stops leaks. In addition, there are reverse kegel exercises for men & women that can help them relax and improve the muscles on the pelvic floor of their pelvis.

Now, let's talk about pelvic problems that can happen when you sit for a long time. 

Causes of Damage to the Pelvic Floor

Sitting all day can be bad for our bodies. For example: 

• Neck Strain and Tension

Sitting for a long time, our necks often get tight and twisted. This is especially true if we already have poor posture habits. 

When we tilt our heads forward to look at screens or other things, we put more stress on our necks, which causes the cervical spine to curve more. 

So, the trapezius muscle, which supports the neck, upper back, and shoulders, get tight and stressed. Over time, we may get painful spots called "knots."

• Rounded or Hunched Posture

When you sit for a long time, your whole back can slouch forward, giving you a rounded or hunched stance. 

This puts much stress on the lower back, which takes up most pressure. Then, as the back starts to round in, it throws off the balance of the muscles supporting the spine, making them weaker.

• Lower Back

These changes in posture and muscle imbalances can lead to problems such as back pain, constant neck and shoulder pain, and less flexibility. 

Also, putting stress on the lower back for a long time can lead to problems like QL pain and soreness.

The Impact of Sitting on Your Pelvic Floor Health

Here is why sitting for a long time is bad for your pelvic floor:

1. Damage to the Pelvic Floor

When you sit long, your pelvic floor muscles are under steady pressure. This could weaken and stretch the muscles over time. This can cause pelvic rupture when the pelvis's organs fall out of their usual place.

2. Incontinence

Urinary and bowel leakage are more likely to happen if you sit too much. Also, when pressure is put on the pelvic floor and muscles weaken, it can be hard to control the bladder and bowels, leading to leaks or loss of control.

3. Obesity

Long periods of sitting often go along with less physical exercise, which can lead to weight gain or obesity. The extra weight can stress the pelvic floor muscles, leading to pelvic floor pain and other problems.

4. Pain in the Pelvis

When you stay in the same position and put pressure on your pelvis, it can cause muscle changes, trigger points, and pain in the pelvic floor muscles.

5. Back Pain

Back and spinal problems can be caused by poor posture and sitting for a long time which can cause muscle imbalances, strain on the spine, and chronic lower back pain.

6. Deterioration in Health

Long periods of sitting are bad for your health. Because lack of exercise can cause weight gain, bad heart health, less toned muscles, and less flexibility, all of which can affect the pelvic floor muscles.

Tips on How to Prevent Pelvic Floor Damage

There are many ways to keep from sitting for too long and even help your pelvic floor get stronger if it's damaged. Such as: 

• Avoid Sitting for Too Long

Don’t sit for a long time; instead, sit for a shorter time. The general rule is that for every 30 minutes of sitting, you should stand up and take a 5-minute break. Sitting still for more than 2 hours should also be avoided. 

• Regular Breaks for Stretching

Whenever you take a break from sitting, you should always stretch. This will help you feel better and keep your posture straight.

Make it a habit to stand up and stretch every 30–45 minutes when you're sitting down. You can set a timer or use one of the many apps available to tell you to stand up and stretch, or you can just remember to get up every hour. 

• Keep a Healthy Body Weight

Obesity and other weight-related health issues may worsen the symptoms of pelvic floor disorders, making this a goal that everyone should work towards. 

Extra strain on the pelvic floor muscles might cause them to weakness, worsening existing problems or raising the likelihood that new ones will arise. Constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea are all indications of obesity that can stress the anal muscles.

• Keep your Spine Straight

Poor posture is the primary cause of injury to the pelvic floor muscles. Roll your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together to straighten your back. This helps to lengthen the abdomen and open up the pelvis, which puts less pressure on the pelvic floor.

• Stand up When you Can

Even if you have to sit for work, if you get time, then stand up during breaks. Stand up and stretch every once in a while during the day. Use these breaks to break up long sitting times to move around, walk, or do light exercises.

Sometimes, instead of sitting down at every meal, eat while you stand up. This can change your stance and help your body digest better.

If you watch TV, make it a habit to get up and move around during commercial breaks or other breaks in the show. This helps offset what happens when you sit for a long time.

• Be Active

Problems like cardiovascular and depression, which can develop from sitting too much, might be helped by regular exercise. Exercises that increase your heart rate, like running or swimming, are beneficial. Avoid cycling and other exercises that exert pressure on your pelvic floor or require sitting for long periods.

• Healthy Bowel Movement

Constipation is a common symptom of pelvic floor disease, but it can also be a root cause. Chronic constipation can hurt the muscles supporting the pelvic area.

When you have to sit on the toilet for an extended period or strain to pass gas, you put a lot of stress on your pelvic floor, leading to muscular dysfunction, weakening, and even pelvic organ prolapse if it goes untreated. Furthermore, constipation can lead to hemorrhoids. Learning the best sitting position for hemorrhoids can also help avoid further strain on your pelvic floor.

You can avoid constipation by exercising, staying hydrated, and having a healthy diet.

• Lift Carefully

There are indeed proper and improper methods of lifting that can prevent injury to the pelvic floor. However, lifting too much weight might strain abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.

Before you lift it check out how heavy it is before you try to lift it. It's essential to pick a load you can easily carry without putting too much pressure on your muscles.

Next, bring the thing close to your body before lifting it. This helps keep your body in the right place and takes the pressure off your pelvic floor. Don't lift things from far away because it can make you more likely to get hurt.

Before you lift, you should actively use your pelvic floor muscles. This gives you more support and steadiness while you're lifting.

Also, lifting things between the waist and shoulder level is best as much as possible. This is better for your back and pelvic floor than picking things up from the floor.

• Exercises For the Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor muscles need regular exercise like any other muscle in your body if you want to keep them in good shape. Therefore, learning the correct way to perform a kegel and how to relax your pelvic floor is crucial.

And If you already have a pelvic floor issue, these exercises may appear different from what you're used to doing. Because frequent workouts that engage the abdomen put a lot of pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, you may need to be careful with your initial motions if your muscles are already damaged.

It’s best to see a therapist to help you with your pelvic floor routine. 

• Let your Muscles Relax

It's essential to learn how to improve your pelvic floor and how to relax. When muscles are always tight, they can't do what they're supposed to do. As a result, constipation, bladder pain, incontinence, and painful intercourse are all things that could happen.

For the pelvic floor muscles to work right, they need to be able to tighten and relax at will. When needed, the muscles need to contract well, like when holding urine or supporting the pelvic floor while lifting big things. On the other hand, they need to fully relax to do important things like poop and pee without any problems.

Conclusion

It's impossible to avoid sitting. Time spent away from the computer is time spent. Poor posture is never a good thing. It causes problems to your health and also worsens your pelvic floor.