Using WW Techniques Post Surgery

Welcome Monica,
There is every chance the ideas here on this site can be helpful to you, to what degree? Who knows, because it seems evident to me from reading a lot of the posts over the last six months that each woman comes here with a different circumstances.
. I sadly had surgery ten months ago, anterior repair/cystocele repair. I wish I had known about this great community beforehand cos I probably would not have had the surgery, but ahhhh hindsight is a wonderful thing!!! My surgery was great for five weeks, then I felt the bulge reemerge. So I am working my way back, but it is a long road. I am seeing progress and the WW posture definitely is a huge part of it. I am 44 next month and have three children under 10 so my days are busy and often challenging managing with prolapse
Lots of women combine different exercise regimes, WW yoga, the first aid for prolapse dvd, walking, it amazes me that some women can even run again. I will just be happy to get my cystocele to stop,from peeking. I will happily leave the running to others. My activity of choice is swimming, I also do Pilates (clinical), with a physio, and no intra abdominal pressure. Pilates can be a topic with divided opinion, and I can understand that. I would never go to a general Pilates class, lots of moves in there to make prolapse worse....but I digress.
Still having your uterus does seem to be an important part of the package according to Christine, and I get what she means, but only time and experience will tell you how much help the posture and other ideas might help you. If you feel like it tell us what your surgery involved. If not just keep reading and gleaning what might be of help to you. I am not as experienced as some members here and I am sure they will chime in soon. In the meantime sending you a warm welcome from one post op individual to another.
Lindy

Hi Monica,
Welocme - So pleased you found this site. I've no doubt the ww way can be of benefit post surgery. The post-surgery and hysterectomy (if applicable) would probably answer some of your questions most appropriately.
The ww posture actually suits any woman because it works in harmony with female structure and the pelvic organ system of support. The ww way is very empowering because it gives the facts about the female anatomy, posture and how to live healthily within this system, but then it's up to each of us to work out what suits us as individuals and what works for best for us and how best to proceed. Of course as things change and we change, this is an on-going process.
I don't know how many women use this site or have had surgery. It seems a lot and is definately growing.
Wishing you all the best, wholewomanuk

Hi Monica - have you read Christine's story in Saving the Whole Woman? This all began when she had an incontinence procedure, which almost immediately triggered a profound uterine prolapse. Talk about being on a long journey alone......so yes, even our leader is post-surgery!

Hi Monica,
good idea to check out your Pilates moves. If you at a rehab place one might guess they know what they are doing, but always good to double check.
Make sure they are not getting you to work the abdominal muscles in a strong way - that can create intra abdominal preessure thus creating downward pressure on your prolapse. You can work these muscles, but for me it is subtle. Most of my work is on the pilates reformer bed. Any floor work where you are elevating both legs off the ground at same time is not advisable - from what I have learned.

My physio has taught me to place my hand over my abdominal muscle (where possible)when doing an exercise and check to make sure the muscle is not 'jumping' . This generally works well for me, and is just a guide as whether I/she needs to adjust the exercise.

Just holding WW posture works these muscles, what was tiring at first has now become less so, and has really improved these muscles too - I think.

Just some more info for you. Hope it is helpful.

Lindy

Hi Monica,

The WW work *must* apply to post-hysterectomy women too. I say must because what other choice do you have but to keep your intestines and bladder toward the front of your body and away from the pelvic outlet at the back? It is true that you will not achieve the same level of result, but the successive surgeries are not curative.

Please let me point out the sharp and important distinctions between The Gokhale Method and WW. Esther teaches:

“Note that a lumbo-sacral angle is different from a sway back. The lumbo-sacral angle is a natural curve very low in the spine (between L5 annd S1); a sway is an unhealthy curve hight up in the lumbar spine...pronounced lumbar curvature should occur only at L5-S1.”

She suggests obtaining this low curve by placing most of the weight on the heels, which is the same outcome as pulling your thighs back - a common instruction in yoga classes. Or, just push your bottom out without making any other postural adjustments - it is a terribly uncomfortable posture that places great stress on the sacroiliac joints!! Lifting the chest, broadening the upper back, keeping the shoulders down and pulling up through the back of the neck produces a *healthy* wide-radius lumbar curve that Whole Women have been reducing prolapse and curing musculoskeletal disorders with for ten years! I have treated women in acute SIJ pain from keeping the weight-on-heels posture and cannot fathom how Esther came up with it - except to assume her back surgery fused her spine in such a way that she cannot perceive natural posture.

****All “sway back” is considered equal in the eyes of orthopedics and physical therapy!!!****

No one has ever made the distinction between the low curve (often resulting from a flopped out beer-belly) and the pulled up (not in!) abdominal wall that results in WW posture. Esther made the distinction - but she has it backwards!!

And...she most certainly teaches holding an “inner corset” (pulling the ribs in) in all aspects of her posture. This instruction is from her section on “Stacksitting”:

“Contract your upper abdominal muscles to pull the front of the rib cage downward and inward, thus lengthening and straightening the low back.”

She then must rationalize that “natural” breathing moves the upper chest and back more than the abdominal wall because her “anchored” ribs prevent normal movement of her respiratory diaphragm.

Christine

Work your belly the WW way! Leg lifts are fine lying on your back on the floor, just be sure to leave your head and shoulders on the floor. This is just the same as a standing leg lift and your lumbar spine will move forward in its normal way, although gravity makes it more difficult. If you want to work your abs harder, lift your head and shoulders - but only after you've brought your legs up to ninety degrees (feet toward ceiling).

An amazing feature of the human body is that beneficial postures and exercises can be rotated in space and remain beneficial (or not). Please understand that it's not about raising intraabdominal pressure (which is tremendously high simply standing and breathing!), but whether you use internal pressure to pin your organs into place or blow them backwards and out of your body.

I am one of the post surgery members here. Had a vaginal hysterectomy/bladder tuck about 12 years or so ago due to some kind of prolapse discovered. It was all very rushed and if I had known what I know now, I would not have had the surgery. I'm 52, never carried a baby to term (did miscarry), and probably brought on my original prolapse from excessive coughing/hacking due to asthma issues, and also because I am very short waisted and just don't have a lot of pelvic room for everything. Currently, I am trying to manage a rectocele by keeping my bowels soft and moving, regular exercise, and lots of water and whole foods and grains. I discovered Christine's materials and website several months ago and do the WW workout regularly (everyday if possible). Has it helped? Well, some days my prolapse is quite stable, while others it's not. But for me, it's all dependent on how full my stomach and bowels are. I don't know if there's any hope for improvement for me with the exercises and posture, but I do hope that there won't be a worsening of the situation. At least I'm not willing to risk NOT following Christine's advice.

Anyway, welcome! Hang out with us post-op or not and learn and grow with us as we learn to accept our new "normal" with prolapse.

Hi Monica,

Yes, bending forward at the hips with straight knees is beneficial to many systems in the body - and a great way to do many tasks including picking up light objects off the floor. For heavier lifting, stand over the object, externally rotate your hips, and bend at both knees and hips. Grasp the object and keep it close to your body as you straighten hips and knees - sense that you are using musculature in your thighs and buttocks. WW exercise includes lots of external rotation and bending, which we use greatly in life.

Ditch the foot stool! There is a huge difference between actually squatting on the ground and placing yourself in a squat position while stopping the downward energies against a toilet seat. We recommend leaning forward onto your feet and lifting your weight of the seat. You don't have to hover, your skin can even stay in contact with the seat - but get your weight off. Do you see the difference? When your feet are up on a stool, the most dependent part of your body is the pelvic outlet - specifically vagina and anus. Tremendous downward pressures are forced against this area. When you're leaning forward into a half-squat, your organs are being pressed against your pubic bones and lower belly. The bowel is free to perform the powerful forces of defecation without the brunt of them going to the sphincters.

The dynamics of sitting on any stump, stool or sit-ball are great - the point is to sit using the strength of your own spine.

Christine

When the organs fall into the belly they are out of harm's way. This half-squat is very natural for women (a full squat brings tailbone closer to pubic bones - narrowing the outlet.

You are absolutely right... good advice and it works!