This study suggests first time mums could get greater improvements with Hypopressives compared to normal pelvic floor exercises when considering levator ani thickness - coupled with higher treatment satisfaction. The levator ani is the largest component of the pelvic floor and is made up of 3 muscle components: the pubococcygeus, the iliococcygeus and the puborectalis.
Juez L. et al, 2019, 'Hypopressives technique versus pelvic floor muscle training for postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation: A prospective cohort study', Neurourology Urodynamics, vol 38 (7): 1924-1931.
KEY POINTS:
The aim of this study was to compare effectiveness of both treatments in terms of morphofunctional changes and urinary incontinence symptoms and treatment satisfaction
105 women - 2 groups - pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) & Hypopressive exercise (HE) programme
Assessments included 3D transperineal ultrasound, manometry, dynamometry & differences in urinary incontinence symptoms (ICIQ-IU-SF) & satisfaction
Findings: The data suggests a greater improvement with Hypopressives training for levator ani muscle thickness and also satisfaction compared to PFMT. Basal muscle tone change was also higher with Hypopressives treatment
Why is this important?
This study suggests that postnatal women can get greater improvements with Hypopressives compared to traditional PFMT in the postnatal period
It also shows that postnatal women were also more satisfied with Hypopressives, which is a really important finding as we're all more likely to keep doing exercise we enjoy
The benefits of Hypopressives are not just limited to the pelvic floor like traditional pelvic floor exercises - so it's easy to see why this time efficient, whole body fitness technique is already used widely postnatally in Belgium, France and Spain.
If you want to learn to teach Hypopressives - please click here to find out more. You'll be joining a growing community of healthcare and fitness professionals representing the International Hypopressives Council in the UK, delivering high quality 1:1 training.
I'd love to hear from you!
Alice