Hypopressive exercises for the pelvic floor
Hypopressive exercises, a series of postural and breathing techniques, are designed to strengthen the abdominal muscles and work the pelvic floor. In this article, we will describe them with the physiotherapists of the Women's Unit at Ruber International Hospital. Pilar Cortés e Immaculate Nightgown how to perform these types of exercises. You can also see them put into practice in This Video carried out together with the Dr. Isabel Rodríguez Piñero.
La better posture To learn how to do hypopressives is face up, and this is useful for people who are just starting out, as well as for women who are going through immediate postpartum, as long as it is vaginal. After a cesarean section, it is advisable not to do hypopressives until a good assessment has been made two months after delivery. However, in the case of having had vaginal deliveryAn assessment would also be necessary, but these types of exercises could be started as soon as the bleeding stops. And always in a supine position.
It's also very important to assess the exercise, as sometimes it's not performed correctly and can cause problems such as bulging of the fascia. Therefore, our physiotherapists recommend assessing in consultation whether the viscera are actually rising as we think they are, and whether we aren't pushing the pelvic floor when we exhale properly. Furthermore, once we learn, It is much more effective if we do it right, and that's why today we're going to learn different postures.
Hypopressive exercises: breathing
The first thing we are going to see is how to perform breathingWe'll lie on our backs and place our hands on our ribs. We'll breathe in through our nose (the ribs open) and out through our mouth (the ribs close). When we're out of breath, we have to pretend to breathe in, opening our ribs upwards, extending ourselves, and to the sides.
Hypopressive exercises in a lying position
1. The first position will be lying face up, with your hands on your thighs, heels planted on the floor, chin tucked, and back fully supported, without a curve. This posture It is not modified by apnea or rib opening..
In this position, we'll breathe in through our nose and exhale normally. On the next breath, we'll breathe in through our nose and exhale gently, with our mouths open. When we're out of breath, we suck in our stomach, open our ribs, and extend our arms to the sides. We hold this position for 10 seconds, breathe in, and repeat. With this, we'll we work on stretching the back, activation of the transverse and reflex activation of the pelvic floor.
2. Another position is with your hands placed as if we had a board on our chest, and we breathe again. We take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and when we're out of breath, we draw in our stomach and open our ribs and sides. We hold for 10 seconds, breathe in, and repeat.
3. The third position will be with your arms raised and your hands placed behind your head, as if you were holding a wall above you. Repeat the breathing.
Hypopressive exercises in standing position
1. The first position will be with the chin slightly inward, the knees slightly bent, the body leaning slightly forward, but keeping the trunk straight, and the hands in a position similar to if we were holding our waist, but in front of our body, applying a little pressure.
Holding this position, we'll take a deep breath, let it out gently, and when we can't breathe any more, we'll suck in our stomachs and hold for a few seconds. When we can't take it anymore, we'll take a deep breath, let it out, and repeat. We have to be careful not to lose our posture; it should feel like we're being pulled up by a rope from the head.
2. The next position will be with the body a little less inclinedWith your knees bent, your arms slightly in front of you, at chest level. Inhale, exhale gently, and then suck upward again, pulling your abdomen in and opening your ribs, holding for a few seconds. Ideally, you should reach 10 seconds, but if you can't hold it, start with 5 and gradually lengthen it.
3. The last position is with the hands facing up, as if we wanted to hold the roofIn this position, we'll take a deep breath, exhale gently through our mouths, then suck in, stand on our toes, count 10 seconds, and lower ourselves.
These are some of the hypopressives that we can do at home but, in any case, as we said at the beginning, It is always advisable to make a good assessment, not only the state of the pelvic floor, the abdomen… but also how the exercises are being performed.
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If you found this article interesting and would like to be seen by a professional expert in Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Women's Unit at Ruber International Hospital has a specialized unit in this area. You can request more information by calling 917303673. make an appointment for an in-person consultation Or make an appointment for an online consultation if you prefer remote consultations—always with the best specialists.