“I would recommend that people call the facility and maybe schedule the first appointment and see how you feel about it. I also think patient support groups tend to have closed Facebook groups and they can recommend people in certain geographical areas. I know people call [our practice] a lot and we try and get them paired up with somebody we trust in their area,” Prendergast says.
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Do some "dead bug crunches." Start lying on your back, with your knees bent and your feet at knee level. Strength your arms straight up toward the ceiling. Take a deep breath, tighten your pelvic floor muscles, and extend your right arm and left leg in opposite directions. Release back to the position your started in, and repeat on the right side.[12]
Perform bridges. Kegels are not the only way to strengthen your pelvic floor. There are numerous exercises you can do, and a great one is bridges. Start by laying on your back with your knees bent, keeping your feet about a fist distance apart. Then flex your lower abdominal muscles and lift your hips off the ground slightly. Your buttocks should barely be off of the floor and you should keep your inner core muscles flexed. Hold for 3 seconds and slowly return your hips to the ground.[10]
Tabletop splits: Tabletop splits engage your core, hips, inner thigh muscles, and pelvic floor. To do a tabletop split, lie down on your back in a comfortable position on the floor, and bring your knees up in the air, so your thighs are perpendicular to the ground. Slowly spread your knees until your legs are as far apart as they can comfortably go, then slowly bring your knees back together. Repeat 10–15 times, up to three times per day.
Squats: Squats are a great holistic exercise because they engage many muscles at once. To do a body-weight squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then slowly bend your knees, dropping your hips and glutes down and back, keeping your back straight, as if you’re sitting down on a chair. (You can place your hands on your hips or stretch them out in front of you for balance.) Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel with the floor, then return to an upright position. Repeat 10 times, up to three times per day.
