To the fast pace of life, work obligations and tight daily routines, the COVID-19 pandemic has added to anxiety, fear, uncertainty and a global traumatic situation that will undoubtedly Increased stress level in societyIn some cases, up to its maximum point.
And it is well known that when stress is no longer a punctual response and becomes a chronic condition, it has many consequences. Physical and mental health.
According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress, if left untreated, can lead to anxiety, insomnia, muscle aches and a weakened immune system, and may even lead to the development of certain pathologies such as heart disease, depression and obesity. can also contribute. ,
And although most people may not know it, Stress can also affect the pelvic floor, that is, the group of muscles and other tissues that form a kind of sling or hammock in the pelvis. In women, this “floor” holds the uterus, bladder, intestines and other pelvic organs in place so that they can function properly.
Now, various investigations show that pelvic floor muscles actively contract in response to physical or mental stress, with consequences for people’s daily lives and even on their sexuality.
Rachel Gelman is a physiotherapist who specializes in the pelvic floor and assures that “it is normal for people to tighten their gluteal muscles when they feel tense or nervous, and although this is a normal response, it is common when it comes to chronic stress. If the cause occurs, it can cause all kinds of pelvic floor disorders. In this way, according to the specialist, “various consequences can appear which range from pain during intercourse, pelvic organ prolapse or lumbar pain” to bladder dysfunction and constipation.”
And while stress may never have been linked to those outcomes, according to Caroline KoreaDirector of Fisiofit Mujer, a Spanish physiotherapy clinic dedicated to women’s health.Stress alters posture and breathing patternswhich leads to changes in the musculature of the diaphragm”.
In particular, it is usually more tense, which leads to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure and a downward thrust of the abdominal viscera. In this way, the pelvic floor muscles are forced to contract to counter the increased pressure and ensure urinary continuity. Over time this whole process of pelvic floor contraction will create trigger points, which are basically pain points.
“Most of the time they are caused by pain during intercourse, back problems, pain that radiates down the leg, or discomfort during periods,” Gelman explained. In addition to these problems, frequent contractions of the pelvic muscles can lead to muscle fatigue, which favors the appearance of dire urinary incontinence.
consulted by infobaechimney Sweeps Marisa Labowski (MN 84376) explained that “the pelvic floor is made up of muscles and muscles contract like no other in the bodyTherefore, when one is stressed, everything shrinks”.
“On the other hand, when you’re tense you have less urge to have sex and sometimes you have sex all the way through, so when the muscles contract, the area doesn’t lubricate well and that causes discomfort. And there’s jealousy, and there’s a vicious circle. One arises in that when the person knows they’re going to have sex, they think it will hurt and so they contract and when they contract So it clearly hurts and so on, the gynecologist went deep.
Along the same lines, only about 20% of women under the age of 30 report recurrent sexual pain, according to a study by rebro University in Sweden. This pain, moreover, creates a fear of sexual relations and, therefore, the avoidance of them. As such, according to this work, “women with pain reported higher levels of fear avoidance and catastrophic pain, as well as depression and anxiety.” A condition that does nothing but maintain the root cause of tension and pain.
In her turn, the gynecologist Gabriella Kosoy (Mn 70409), prior to this consultation with the medium, stated that “stress apparently affects all areas of life, including sexuality.” “It alters the microbiota, so it can cause constipation,” explained the expert. Very precise transition to the pelvic floorSo everything that changes the nervous system can change its structure”.
Regarding the variety of symptoms involved, Lebowski argued that “the pelvic floor is full of muscles, and if they contract, it makes intercourse difficult, moving from body to body, etc. Because throughout the pelvic floor The anus, vagina, and urethral opening are involved.
According to experts, the first step is to identify what condition may be causing the symptoms. stress And not for any other problem.
“The key is precisely to rule out other possible causes,” said Correira, for whom “a very similar case is that of chronic constipation. There are many women who eat the right diet, drink enough water, and eat regularly.” exercise, but still suffer from constipation. The answer would be stress levels.”
In the case of the pelvic floor, “we should Deny that the pain is due to a physical cause, For example, after going through childbirth or experiencing some sort of injury or infection in the area, Gelman said. If we can’t find any other obvious cause and we know we’re going through a prolonged phase of stress, perhaps we should try to work on it first.
In that sense, the physical therapist recommends “obvious things like spending time outside, doing gentle exercises like yoga and dance, writing, spending time with friends, masturbating or, of course, going to therapy can be very helpful.” “
,do relaxation exercises, yoga, breathing And pelvic floor exercises would certainly help, as well as being able to see what’s causing the stress and being able to solve it,” Labowski said, while Kosoy added: “Anything that does breathing exercises.” , mindfulness, yoga is definitely improving the stress will improve the symptoms.”
On the other hand, there are also specific exercises to relieve stress on a more physical level. Correia recommends mindful breathing for at least a minute. “Something as simple as this helps stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for reducing stress levels,” he said.
it should be remembered that The relationship between respiratory and postural function with the pelvic floor is, According to some studies, functional improvements in breathing patterns and pelvic stability may indirectly affect the changes produced in the pelvic floor, even in the case of symptoms such as urinary incontinence. In addition, some stretching on the side of the diaphragmatic muscle connection may also be useful. “Like stretching that favors hip opening, psoas stretching and quadratus lumborum,” Correra says.
At this point, in conversation with infobaenational teacher of physical education mariela catania has contributed Exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
“Lying on your back, with your legs bent, and feet supported, we put our hands on our stomachs and contract the pelvic floor. We have to feel how the sphincters close, we How do the pelvic organs lift up and the lower abdomen tenses up,” he described.
And she continued: “Now we’re going to contract the deep abdominal plane—the transversus abdominis—without losing the pelvic floor. The contraction should be smooth. We inflate the abdomen with air as we breathe in for two beats and slowly in four beats.” Exhale slowly. We repeat six to ten times and relax. We contract the pelvic floor, contract the inner abdomen, hold and relax.”
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