Brianne Grogan, DPT, is a doctor of physical therapy and a leading health and nutrition coach who has a mission: to bring awareness to the struggle many women have with pelvic floor issues and to help them overcome them. In this interview, Dr. Bri, who teaches the popular DailyOM course Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor, talks about common problems due to pelvic floor issues, the secret to improving your pelvic health, why relaxation is an essential step for healing, and exercises you can start doing today.
DailyOM: Why is it important to maintain our pelvic floor health? What are common pelvic floor problems?
Dr. Brianne Grogan: Pelvic floor issues can impact both female and male bodies, although women typically have more pelvic health concerns than men. This is due, in part, to female anatomy and to the fact that many women bear children. While pregnancy and childbirth are amazing, beautiful, and powerful experiences, they cause significant strain on the core and pelvic floor muscles during the nine (plus) months that we carry our babies. Furthermore, many women experience pelvic floor injuries during the birth process.
While I mentioned pregnancy above, even women who have never been pregnant can experience pelvic floor problems.
Common problems that people experience include:
- Bladder leakage
- Pelvic organ prolapse (a descent of the bladder, bowel, or womb, which can cause feelings of heaviness or "dragging" in the pelvis)
- Pelvic pain and/or tension
Pelvic tension is a very common concern among women and men of all ages and stages. Excessive tension contributes not only to low back and pelvic pain (including painful sex), but it can also contribute to bladder leakage and urinary urgency and frequency, and can be associated with prolapse as well.
Often people who leak or who have pelvic organ prolapse unintentionally clench their pelvic floor muscles all day long in an unconscious effort to "keep everything in." This ends up being counterproductive, as it exhausts the pelvic floor muscles and can squeeze around the very organs that they're trying to support. This is one reason the course starts with relaxation as the first step. Relaxation is key for any participant, whether they're dealing with tense and painful muscles, painful sex, bladder issues, or prolapse.
Interested in learning more? Check out Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor
DailyOM: You talk about the social stigma women face about pelvic health — for example, bladder leakage and incontinence. Do you think that's changing? What's your advice to women who are embarrassed to talk about their pelvic floor concerns?
BG: Admittedly, as a pelvic health advocate, I live in a bubble. I surround myself with colleagues and clients who are interested in and aware of the pelvic floor, and in my world, pelvic health is talked about quite openly. However, in the general population, there are still significant social stigmas surrounding pelvic health. Some women may feel this more acutely than others based on their upbringing, personal experiences, and even cultural background. I am reminded of the stigma when I see studies and surveys indicating that even though our pelvic floor is an integral part of elimination, sexual health, stability, and childbirth, many women don't know what their pelvic floor is, what it does, or why it's important.
Furthermore, people often live with pelvic health issues for many, many years before they tell their doctor about it and ask for help. Due to shame and embarrassment, many women don't even talk to their female friends about their issues; instead, they simply purchase incontinence protection and decide to "live with it" (not necessary!) since it's "just a part of getting older" (not true!).
The truth is that while pelvic health issues are common, they're not normal, and they are certainly not required. There are things that can be done to prevent pelvic floor issues and to treat issues that are currently in progress. This course is a great place to start.
Relaxation is the most important place to start for pelvic floor strengthening.
DailyOM: What motivated you to design a class that targets the pelvic floor and pelvic floor weakness?
BG: There were two main motivators for me to create this course. The first was awareness (or lack thereof) and stems from my work as a pelvic health physical therapist. I can't count the number of times that women with bladder leakage or other pelvic floor issues said to me, "You mean there's help for this type of thing? I had no idea!" The other statement I'd heard over and over was "Why did no one tell me about this!? I wish I had known so much sooner! I could have prevented these problems if I'd only known."
Despite the gradual rise in awareness about pelvic health, many people still have no idea that pelvic health concerns, such as leakage, prolapse, and pain, are common, that they are not alone, and that there is hope and help.
My second motivator for creating this course was to disrupt and dismantle the common notion about pelvic floor strengthening. Typically, when people want to strengthen their pelvic floor, they go straight to Kegel exercises. I am here to dispel the myth that Kegels are the only way (or the best way) to get a strong pelvic floor. This isn't true! In fact, relaxation is the most important place to start for pelvic floor strengthening. This is counterintuitive and goes against what many people might think, but in this course, I will tell you why and show you how. This is the secret to pelvic floor fitness!
DailyOM: What are two pelvic floor exercises someone could begin doing today?
BG: Sixty-degree core breathing and dance.
Core breathing is a style of diaphragmatic breathing in which you expand all the way around as you inhale, allowing the pelvic floor to lower, release, and receive the pelvic organs. As you exhale, your belly and ribs glide in, and your pelvic floor gently lifts. It not only mobilizes the pelvic floor and other core muscles, but it is also extremely relaxing to the nervous system. Calm muscles work better, and breathing is the perfect starting place for a well-functioning body. Besides, breathing can be done anytime, anywhere, and you can feel positive results instantly.
The other practice you can begin doing today is dance. Any style of dance that moves and grooves the pelvis (think belly dance, Latin dance, etc.) simultaneously strengthens and relaxes the pelvic floor muscles, and utilizes all the surrounding hip and core muscles that support and activate the pelvic floor.
I have known so many happy hip circlers. All you have to do is turn on your favorite song and let your body move. It's the most fun way to strengthen your pelvic floor.
Learn more about Dr. Bri’s DailyOM class Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor.
