What could be Going Wrong with your Hypopressive Technique to Exacerbate your Prolapse Symptoms
Incorrect Execution of the Apnea/Breathing Technique
The foundation of Hypopressives is what we call the Apnea or Hypopressive breathing technique. The most crucial and challenging aspect of Hypopressive exercises is the Apnea breath. If the Apnea is done incorrectly or perhaps you are over exhaling on the exhale before the breath hold, this can create too much pressure on the pelvic floor rather than reducing it, and this can make your prolapse symptoms worse.
Improper Posture and Alignment
Hypopressives uniquely focus on activating the deep core muscles, including the transverse abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. This targeted engagement strengthens the posterior chain or the back of your body, which encompasses the muscles along the spine, contributing to better postural alignment. However, if you are executing your Hypopressives with an incorrect posture this can mean that the pelvic organ prolapse exercises you are doing are ineffective and can lead to increased intra-abdominal pressure, which could make your prolapse symptoms worse.
Not Getting Enough one-to-one guidance
To begin with it is essential you learn the technique from a qualified teacher and do a one-to-one session to ensure you are doing the Apnea technique correctly. Once you are doing the Apnea technique correctly it is vitally important that your teacher checks that you are also doing the basic postures in the right way. Without proper guidance you do run the risk of misunderstanding the exercises. This can lead to incorrect postures and breathing which can potentially exacerbate your symptoms.
Book a Free Zoom Call to Check your Technique
If you would like to book a free 15 minute Zoom call I would be happy to discuss your symptoms and check that you are doing the Apnea technique correctly. Book your Zoom call.
How can Hyporessives Help Reverse Prolapse
Hypopressives not only increase the resting tone of the pelvic floor, with repeated training they also help the pelvic organs to sit higher and relieve the pressure and heaviness into the vagina. We used to think that the organs of the pelvis “fell out” as a result of weakness in the pelvic floor. The answer to this seemed to be, do a great number of Kegel exercises to target those weak pelvic floor muscles. Unfortunately, the reality for many women has been that they have not worked to solve their problems. What we now know is that the pelvic organs don’t “fall out”, but they are actually pushed out, by increased intra-abdominal pressure. We therefore need to look at the pressure system that exists in our core canister, known as Intra-abdominal pressure.
Standard “core” or abdominal exercises like crunches and sit ups increase the intra-abdominal pressure, effectively pushing the pelvic organs down or out. Hypopressives on the other hand strengthen the pelvic floor and abdominal floor without the unwanted downward pressure.
Getting started: Relieve Prolapse Through Hypopressives
For the Hypopressives classes it is important that you learn the Apnea technique properly so that you can get the most out of the classes and the time you invest in yourself. Each week Simone runs Fundamentals sessions on Zoom where she explains the technique and guides you through all the steps. She will also give you feedback to make sure that you’re doing it correctly. For some, the technique may come more quickly than others. Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer.
And here’s the golden rule – for impactful change, Simone recommends at least three 15 to 20-minute workouts per week. Consistency is your best friend on this journey towards wellness.
Some of her clients, who are tighter in the ribs and thoracic spine do tend to take a little longer. For the technique to make an impactful change she recommends doing a minimum of 3 workouts a week for 15 to 20 minutes.
As a member of re-centre you can also always schedule a 15-minute one-to-one check-in with Simone to run through your technique to make sure you are doing them correctly.
