physical therapy

Welcome Runner,

We have discussed sleeping positions at length. Plug "sleeping position" into the Search box to see our discussions.

In summary, it doesn't seem to matter, as gravity works at 90 degrees to how it acts when upright. However, it may help for you to sleep on your side, allowing your belly to hang forward. A pillow under your top leg might be helpful.

Particularly in the early stages of WW work, allowing your pelvic organs to move forwards is the first step to keeping them there. We sleep for about 1/3 of our lives, so allowing the intestines and pelvic organs to flop forwards for 1/3 of our lives is intuitively a good way to start changing the way your pelvic organs are arranged around each other.

Louise

I have a question to add here also. : )

I'm at the point I think maybe a little exercise is good for me, as long as I can keep everything in place ok. I know for me it is really bad for me to try to exercise even Christine's exercises when everything isn't in place. If I try otherwise I feel I am PUSHING my u away from me. Dreadful feeling.

I don't have my pessary in yet though. Any thoughts on swimming - with or without - the pessary? I don't mean just which one is better, I mean if you give advice, let me know if you mean it specifically for either?

I used to swim laps but haven't for a while now. And haven't done much exercise except for arms, some light squats and calf raises and stretching as much as I am able without feeling miserable, over the past month since the POP.

Part of me says wait until Monday or Tuesday or Wed to exercise since I get the pessary late Monday. BUT I have this gut instinct it's time for me to exercise. Not sure what it is. Kind-of like I can't prevent my own muscles from stretching - and need to move to prevent it. Hard to explain. Know how you wake up one morning and you are already stretching without meaning too and kind of yawning at the same time? My body keeps going into that automatic stretch but it feels TERRIBLE on my abdomen. It's like my body's crying out for me to move yet my abdomen can't bear it! I'm stretching, but it doesn't seem to be enough, I think my entire life I've never gone an entire month without exercise. (I did it all, even used to do triathlons etc a couple of years ago).

I'm figuring swimming might be the gentlest thing. Like just using a kick board to do laps, or doggie paddling it as embarrassing as that might be. I think I can swim fine, but it's the head trip that's the hard part. hahaha

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Runner

It's only natural to feel like a basket of eggs when you are first diagnosed. I did when I was 46 last summer, and spent part of the time wanting to cry and the rest wanting to lie down on the sofa ( rather spoiled my enjoyment of my youngest's birthday tea).

Well, eight months later I''m much fitter physically and my prolapse is much improved. I walk everywhere - miles and mile each day, unless my havfever's bad when I use the treadmill at the gym when I can. I have a urethrocele and walking in posture, and sitting cross legged in posture, are wonderful for making the symptoms improve. I wasn't fit before hand - mistook being thing and always in a hurry- running up stairs for being active. Now my resting heart rate is much slower - took pop to make me do that.

I don't know what sort of POP diagnosis you've had or what your fitness level was like before - you sound pretty sporty - but anything you can do with the lumbar curve in place and with your legs/ body at a ninety degree angle if you're not standing up, is fine. Some women here run and say their POP likes it - but you have to learn to run in posture. I was rubbish at running before, so I haven't tried it.

Physiotherapy - well - I had a bad experience but other women have been helped. As long as you can avoid doing anything that really goes against Christine's approach, should be okay. My physio had me doing 100s of kegels on my back, with my tummy sucked in, using a resistance device ( the kegelmaster) that hurt, This, combined with a pilates class that had me doing mad things to my abdomen, came just before a dramatic worsening of my symptoms so you can see why I'm cautious. If you know what to leave out or adapt some exercises classes should be fine. I'm not up front enough to tell people why I'm skipping certain exercises, so I avoid them. I've found Christine's ballet workout in the book amazing for all over suppleness and toning , and hiking is wonderful.

How you start to get back to exercise all depends on the severity of your symptoms - to be honest mine weren't very bad to begin with it was more the fear factor. Lots of more sporty women here can advise you. Doing the things you loved before POP is important.

All the very best for your healing.

Doubtful

Good going, runner!!
cf