Hi friends! It’s the holiday season. The holiday season can bring joy, time with family, and happy memories, but it can also bring along lots of work (like shopping for presents)! Let’s talk about some presents that are good for the pelvic floor muscles!
The Squatty Potty is a fan favorite at gift exchanges! It certainly gets the room laughing, but many times it will make life easier by helping to prevent straining while pooping. Using the toilet stool helps to relax a muscle called the puborectalis. When the puborectalis muscle relaxes, this allows the rectum to straighten and allow for easier pooping (Grimes, 2021).
Know a loved one with chronic pain? A TENS Unit may help. Research has shown that TENS is a good treatment option for many individuals with pain (Sharma, 2017). It is a safe and effective form of pain-relief for most individuals. A TENS unit is most commonly used on the back, shoulders, and legs, but TENS has also been shown to be a safe alternative to pain medications during labor (Njogu, 2021). Be sure to check with your provider to make sure that TENS is safe for you before using.
Have a pregnant loved one? The CABEA Babybellyband can help provide support and relief. It can be useful in thte postpartum period as well by giving external support to the pelvic floor muscles and pelvic organs. Ice packs can make a great stocking stuffer to alleviate discomfort after a vaginal delivery.
Know someone that needs some motivation to do their exercises? These vaginal weightsand the Elvie trainer can make pelvic floor muscle exercises more fun and engaging. If you are having pelvic pain, vaginal weights are not a good treatment option for you as this could actually make your symptoms worse.
Give your loved one the gift of knowledge. A Pelvic Flicks subscription will give them access to pelvic health videos with topics like bladder health, bowel health, pregnancy and postpartum, sex life, and more! A Pelvic Flicks subscription also includes live weekly workouts.
In addition to videos to learn about the pelvic floor, there are books, too!
My Pelvic Floor Muscles: The Basics by Jeanice Mitchell and Sheri Wall
Restoring The Pelvic Floor: How Kegel Exercises, Vaginal Training, and Relaxation, Solve Incontinence, Constipation, and Health Pelvic Pain to Avoid Surgery by Dr. Amanda Olson
Sex After Baby: Resume Intimacy with Confidence and Ease by Jeanice Mitchell
The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine by Dr. Jen Gunter
To view all of our favorite pelvic floor products visit our store on Amazon. And for yourself, don’t forget to enter the daily December Giveaway for 31 days worth of pelvic health resources!
Ready to learn more about your pelvic floor muscles? Here are some helpful resources:
Watch our YouTube video on The Pelvic Floor Basics
Sign up for our email newsletter!
Visit our Instagram page for more on pelvic health.
Join our Ambassador Program
Written by Emily Reul, PT, DPT
References
Grimes WR, Stratton M. Pelvic floor dysfunction. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;2021 Jan. PMID: 32644672.
Njogu A, Qin S, Chen Y, Hu L, Luo Y. The effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation during the first stage of labor: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021;21(1):164.
Sharma N, Rekha K, Srinivasan JK. Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain. J Midlife Health. 2017;8(1):36-39