‘Core Exercises After Prolapse Surgery’ is a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist guided exercise video.
This core exercise video demonstrates a sequence of pelvic floor safe core exercises suited to women with prolapse and those women seeking safe exercises after prolapse surgery upon returning to exercise. The simple core exercise sequence involves the use of a Swiss ball (exercise ball) however these exercises can also be performed seated on a chair.
Please scroll down to view ‘Core Exercises after Prolapse Surgery’
Safe Abdominal Core Exercises for Prolapse
The following video demonstrates a sequence of seated Swiss ball exercises (fit ball exercises) that promote abdominal muscle activity and support the pelvic floor while exercising. The emphasis is on slow controlled movements using good posture and gentle deep abdominal muscle activation. The exercises demonstrated are designed to:
- Gently improve deep abdominal muscle tone and control;
- Place minimal pressure on the pelvic floor;
- Exercise those deep abdominal muscles that should work with pelvic floor muscles for pelvic floor support;
- Assist women in flattening the appearance of the abdomen with appropriate deep abdominal muscle control exercises.
Always seek your doctor’s approval before commencing any new exercise program and immediately cease any exercises that cause you discomfort.
About Unsafe Abdominal Exercises after Prolapse Surgery
Research tells us that some intense core abdominal exercises can increase the downward pressure on the pelvic floor (including vaginal or rectal prolapse and prolapse repair). Inappropriate core exercises such as sit-ups, and even some intense Pilates and Yoga exercises can cause downward movement of the pelvic floor. What can result is progressive stretching and weakness of the pelvic floor muscles which become less able to support the prolapsed or repaired tissues. Intense core abdominal exercises are high on the list of exercises after prolapse surgery to avoid when exercising to minimise the risk of recurrent prolapse and worsening existing prolapse.
Unfortunately for many women the potential for pelvic floor injury with intense core exercise is not well recognised within fitness circles. After prolapse surgery, some women even get the go-ahead to return to their regular gym exercises with little understanding of the potential risk of recurrent prolapse with the wrong kind of abdominal core exercise. For a summary of some of these exercises refer to our popular free article abdominal exercises to avoid with prolapse or after prolapse surgery.
For more details on pelvic floor safe exercises after prolapse surgery and with existing prolapse refer to Inside Out – the essential women’s guide to pelvic support.
Video duration: 5 minutes
Note to ensure the smooth viewing of the video, it is recommended that you press on this play arrow and then when the video starts loading you press the ‘pause’ button until you can see that the entire video has loaded. This will help avoid the video stopping to load while you watch.
We welcome your comments below
For more information on how to exercise safely improve your strength and fitness and protect your pelvic floor refer to Inside Out- the essential women’s guide to pelvic support by pelvic floor experts Michelle Kenway (Physiotherapist) and Dr Judith Goh (Urogynaecologist)
Please read our disclaimer regarding this information
This information is provided for general information only and should in no way be considered as a substitute for medical advice and information about your particular condition. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate, the author accepts no responsibility and cannot guarantee the consequences if individuals choose to rely upon these contents as their sole source of information about a condition and its rehabilitation.
Copyright © Pelvic Exercises.com.au
Where can I PURCHASE your videos for exercises after pelvic prolapse. I purchased your book Inside Out, it was GREAT!!!!!(every womens doctor should have in there office)
THANKS! Debbie
Hi Debbie
Thanks so much for your lovely comments! So glad to help out…do you want to purchase the videos we curently have online? If so i can organise this for you, just email us on our contact page. Cheers Michelle
I Recently had that horrible cough/pneumonia thing foing around for a month, then I was well for two weeks and relapsed. I coughed so hard it felt like my insides were ripping out. (I already had a mild prolapse) Now it seems to have gotten much worse and I am still coughing a little. I have an inversion board that I am very comfortable on, when it seems to be unbearable I go hang upside down and everything falls “up” and nothing hurts. I try to do my keigal exercises while upside down, just to prevent any downward push. My question is: Is this a good thing to do, using the inversion board? And I don’t mind if anyone else sees my comments if it can help someone.
Hi Vickie
Thanks so much for your comments on coughing and prolapse. It is relatively common for mature women to experience a worsening of their existing prolapse after an episode of severe coughing. Some women find that their incontinence becomes much worse too. This is due to the downward pressure associated with coughing directly upon the pelvic floor. This pressure can further stretch and weaken poorly functioning pelvic floor muscles.
Using the inversion board for kegel exercises is an interesting strategy. Women often find that kneeling and resting their weight on their forearms with their bottoms upright, or lying down helps them to perform their pelvic floor exercises especially when their pelvic floor muscles are weak as it helps to eliminate the downward force of gravity. Using the inversion board sounds like a similar strategy to this by taking the weight of gravity off the pelvic floor and the prolapse, it would help activate the pelvic floor muscles and relieve pelvic floor pressure. We are unable to comment on the safety of using an inversion board and its potential effect on blood pressure and other joints in particular.
After women have learned to activate and ahve trained their pelvic floor muscles in anti gravity positions, it is then important for them to start training against gravity in upright positions. This will ensure their pelvic floor muscles work for them when they need them to – in upright.
Thanks for your input Vickie!
Thank you for your recent video on prolapse exercises.
I live in the U.S., in Seattle. Although we have many good doc’s and therapists here, their time is limited. A visit with a doctor is limited to 4 minutes, therapists usually meet with you for a few minutes, then give you a sheet of exercises to do at home. Your book and this video of yours is superior to anything I have found here.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi Mary
So glad we have been able to help you improve your health! Thank you for taking the time to comment here
Pelvic Exercises
I was wondering if a rectal prolapse could cause trouble with breathing and also out of your exercises what would be the best for rectal prolapse Im not clear as to how to breath right through the exercises and still having trouble with locating the vaginal muscles also when I am able to rest at work what would the best way to take some of the pressure off my lower bum thank you for your web site all of your feed back is all I have had to survive since I have had my prolapse thank you claudia
I had a sacrocolpopexy along with complete hysterectomy six weeks ago. It was done with the davinci robotic surgery and with mesh. I purchased your book awhile back when I knew I was going to have the surgery. My question is that My surgeon says that after six weeks I can go back to doing everything I used to do. I told him that I had read that you needed to wait 12 weeks. I had asked about exercies. He said the books I had read pertained to the traditional surgery and not when it is done with the mesh. I am very hesitant and afraid and will follow your guidelines on exercises. Just wondered if you had any thoughts on this mesh verses the traditional (which I guess does not include mesh) I am still having lots of bowel problems too.
Robotic prolapse repair and hysterectomy
Hi Debra
Thanks for your interesting question. First of all I am unable to comment on the success rates or relative risks of recurrence related to mesh prolapse repair surgery and hysterectomy performed traditionally versus robotic surgery.
First and foremost I do think that you are indeed very wise to be mindful of those activities and exercises you resume postoperatively in both the short and long-term as there is no doubt they do continue to have potential to place pressure on your prolapse repair, especially during recovery.
The fact that you had a prolapse in the first place indicates that there has been dysfunction in the pelvic floor support mechanism, these are both the pelvic floor muscles and the supportive tissues that work together to hold the pelvic organs up. When for example there is dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles, then the supports are placed under additional strain and eventually being unable to work alone they can fail. Other factors come into play for support also including hormone status and postmenopaual women are at even greater risk owing to the thinning and weakening of the supportive tissues. Now that your pelvic organs(vagina) have been suspended and are now supported by the mesh, it makes good sense to promote this support and avoid undue pressure, especially if your pelvic floor is not working as well as it could be to assist with support.
There is also evidence to suggest that women may be at increased risk of prolapse following hysterectomy surgery. Whether this risk applies to robotic surgery I cannot comment upon.
Another big issue following hysterectomy and prolapse surgery is bowel management post operatively. Straining to empty the bowels places downward stress and strain on the pelvic floor and stretches the pelvic floor tissues, weakening them and increasing the likelihood of prolapse. This is a major factor to be addressed post operatively. If you are having difficulty with bowel management after your prolapse surgery speak to your medical practitioner and get a good management plan happening. This video on how to empty bowels without straining may also assist you.
In summary regardless of the type of prolapse surgery the fact still remains that inappropriate exercises will increase pressure on the pelvic floor as will bowel emptying problems. These are both major factors to address and manage very well long term after any pelvic prolapse surgery. The other important aspect for long-term pelvic floor support is keeping your pelvic floor in good shape through regular pelvic floor/kegel exercises.
Best wishes for your recovery
Michelle
Hi Michelle.
Please can you tell me if rowing machine counts as safe or unsafe pelvic exercise? (I’m referring to the standard row machines that gyms have).
Many thanks,
Tanya
Hi Tanya
Good question, I think the safety of the rowing machine really depends upon how you it (in addition of course to the capacity of your pelvic floor).
I hope these tips help you to reduce pelvic floor pressure when rowing in the gym:
If you can maintain the inward curve in your spine throughout, especially with the pull back then your pelvic floor muscles will be able to work more effectively. I also find that maintaining this tall posture and inward spinal curve as you slide back in also helps to reduce pressure on the pelvic floor – You may notice that when you lean forwards and then pull back from the lean forwards position, the pressure on the pelvic floor increases – this is what I sense however I don’t know of any research regarding rowing so I am basing this on what I feel and what I understand about the lean forwards position and the associated pressure.
Finally if the pull back resistance is kept low, then the pressure on the pelvic floor will be minimised by virtue of the fact that there is less strain involved. So keep resistance low and always breathe out with the effort to reduce pelvic floor pressure – in the case of rowing this is the pull back.
Sorry a lot to this question Tanya, I hope this makes some sense. Let me know if this is clear to you, I can explain further if needed.
Good luck and best wishes
Michelle
I have had laproscopic hysterectomy sacrococolplexy to repair vaginal prolapse of bladder, rectum, and uterus. I wanted to confirm which abs exercises I could do and found your website. What is the problem with Plank? Instinctively that seems like a static exercise that would be OK. How come it is risky? What options are available to go further in core strengthening beyond the ball video? Is there any way to really tone up the core beyond basics? What about running? Is it safe to take up running again? What about distance running? Like a previous post, my doctor has been very casual about being able to do almost anything except lifting more than 20lbs. I look forward to your repay. Thank you for offering this information. There is very little on the web about post prolapse surgery exercise safety.
Re Core exercises and running after prolapse surgery
Hi Julianne
Yes I understand your dilemmas here, I think these are experienced by many women post prolapse surgery so I am glad you have raised these issues.
The Plank involves the upper abdominal muscles working at varying levels of intensity depending upon the type of Plank performed. Yes it is static but the activation of the upper abdominal muscles can increase intra abdominal pressure – this is the pressure within the abdomen that is conveyed to the pelvic floor.
Some women can very well withstand the pressure associated with full Plank whereas others will need to modify Plank by kneeling or avoid Plank altogether, especially if their risk of pelvic floor dysfunction is increased. This will ultimately depend upon their pelvic floor strength and capacity to resist the associated downward force and this is an individual thing, there is no one rule fits all. Yes it is great to have a strong well functioning core, and this can readily be achieved with functional whole body strengthening, and appropriate core training such as modified Pilates and ball-based exercise and whole body exercise such as swimming.
On a personal level I feel there is way too much focus on intense core abdominal exercise in many women’s exercise programs. It is a myth that we can spot reduce our bellies with abdominal exercises yet so many women persist in a disheartening and fruitless quest with sit ups and intense core abdominal exercises in the hope of a flatter abdomen. An individual needs to be very lean to have six pack abs. Women seeking to reduce their abdominal weight should be guided to whole body weight reduction, as this is the only (non-surgical) way to reduce abdominal weight.
As far as running goes again this is individual and women need to weigh up the risks and benefits. The risk is that with repeated impact, the pelvic floor is under repeated downward pressure – something to be avoided for women seeking to protect their pelvic floor, especially post op prolapse. This information about running and prolapse may be helpful for women seeking to run despite their prolapse. My preference is definitely for spinning for cardio workouts over running when it comes to pelvic floor safe exercises.
Hope this info helps you exercise safely Julianne
Michelle