WELLNESS BY KIRSETIN MORELLO
THE OVERLOOKED AILMENT
What You Need to Know About Pelvis Wellness
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While sipping coffee, tea, or mimosas with girlfriends, you
might dish on your latest Amazon find, your new skin care routine or even the hot new TikTok.
What you probably don’t discuss is not being able to get through
a workout class without some embarrassing leakage or how things are so dry and painful down there that you tell your partner you’ve “got a headache” more often than you’d like. Yep, pelvic health is the last topic to get picked at just about any
gathering.
What is pelvic health, exactly? “It refers to the study and
treatment of all of the organs within the pelvis, as well as the musculoskeletal nervous and vascular system,” explained Lily Dawson, PT, DPT with Women’s+ Health Collective. These organs and muscles work in concert with one another to keep daily functions working smoothly and help make sex more enjoyable. As a pelvic health physical therapist, Dawson is passionate about helping women understand more about this oftenoverlooked part of health and wellness. “We think about working out, drinking water, and eating right, but we forget about the seat—literally—of our physical body,” she said. Pelvic health isn’t just a female issue. “The most common dysfunctions we see in men are sexual
The good news: If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, help is available: 1. Ay y y, what’s that unusual feeling? If you’re experiencing a heav y, pulling sensation in your nether regions, you may have pelvic organ prolapse, which means a pelvic organ has dropped from its normal position into the vagina or rectum. “If you’re constantly bearing down to have a bowel movement or pee, you’re encouraging those organs to descend,” explained Dawson. She suggested taking a more laid-back approach to going to the bathroom. “It’s called the ‘restroom’ for a reason! Rest in there. Relax and let your body perform as it was engineered.” 2. Excuse me … I need a restroom, stat! If you’re experiencing changes in bowel habits, including urgency or frequency of urination, constipation or diarrhea, it could be a sign of abnormalities in your pelvic muscles. 3. Oops! Difficulty controlling your bladder or, yikes—the
dysfunction and bladder control,” said Dawson. It’s not fun for
passing of gas or feces, is embarrassing, but you’re not alone.
either gender and can cause mental and emotional stress, as well.
Anal and urinary incontinence are common symptoms of
“When you have bowel and bladder issues, you’re embarrassed and
pelvic f loor dysfunction.
limit your interaction with the world. That can be very isolating.”
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