A healthy pelvic floor goes beyond strong muscles

When dealing with a pelvic floor issue, a whole-body approach is best. “The pelvic floor needs to be looked at as part of the bigger picture,” advises Lillywhite. “It’s impacted by so many things including breathing, posture and daily movement patterns so although pelvic floor trainers can help to some extent, they miss out key factors that can mean that the strength they build isn’t very effective.”

So, it’s not just about the lift and squeeze. Lillywhite explains that there’s a lot more to pelvic floor function that it first seems.

 “Although there is lots of evidence about the impact of kegels for pelvic floor health, it’s important to take a holistic view. For example, if your breathing patterns are dysfunctional and you are belly breathing or chest breathing, you may struggle to make significant changes to pelvic floor function.

“I tried the Elvie pelvic floor exercise trainer for 4 weeks – this is what happened to my bladder”