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Two women’s physical therapy exercises used in Kalamazoo, MI

Women’s physical therapy can be used to treat many issues in Kalamazoo, Michigan. One common issue it’s used to treat is pelvic floor dysfunction, and this condition can be caused by weak pelvic floor muscles. Physical therapists can help you learn many therapeutic exercises to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. Here are two examples of exercises a women’s physical therapist can recommend to strengthen these muscles:

Hip bridge raises

Hip bridge raises are a low-impact exercise you can perform lying on the ground. The exercise primarily targets the glutes, but it has an impact on your pelvic floor as well.

To do hip bridge raises, lie on the flat of your back on the floor. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle, keeping your feet flat on the ground and your arms pressed flat against your sides with your palms on the ground.

Take a deep breath and push your hips up off the ground. Focus on driving the weight through your heels and squeezing the glutes and pelvic muscles while driving your hips upward. When you’ve reached a point where your body forms a straight line from the knees to your shoulders, slowly lower back down to the ground. Repeat this 10 to 15 times for two to three sets every other day of the week.

Shallow squats

The squat is an exercise that many people associate with strengthening the legs and buttocks. While they do work the muscles in these areas, squats can also work the pelvic floor muscles. A squat variation called the shallow squat is often used in women’s physical therapy plans to increase the strength of the pelvic floor muscles.

To do a shallow squat, you’ll first need to position your body correctly. The correct starting position for this exercise involves standing with your feet about hip width apart, and your feet should also be flat on the floor. From this starting position, slowly bend your knees until they reach about a 45-degree angle. Be sure to keep your back straight and bend forward slightly as you bend the knees, and concentrate on tightening your pelvic floor and buttocks as you slowly return to the starting position. Repeat these steps until you’ve done about 10 reps. You can do more sets of shallow squats, but you’ll want to rest for 30 seconds to a minute between each set.

Armor Physical Therapy in Kalamazoo, MI, offers women’s physical therapy

If you have pelvic floor dysfunction in Kalamazoo, Armor Physical Therapy has a clinic in your area that offers women’s physical therapy. We can begin your treatment process with a free screening, and this step can help us pinpoint the cause of your condition. Using this information, our team can then create an individualized therapy plan for you, and some treatments that could be included in your plan are: