Potty Posture and Constipation
December is Constipation Awareness Month!
As a physical therapist, one of the first things I address with a constipated patient is their posture when sitting on the toilet. If you are sitting on the toilet with your feet on the floor, your puborectalis muscle is still engaged. This is even more of an issue for little kiddos who are potty training. It’s practically impossible to relax your pelvic floor muscles with your feet dangling on the “big kid toilet.”
Puborectalis pulls the rectum forward to chink the tube and keep your poo inside until you are ready to go to the bathroom. This is great if you’re walking around or busy but if you are trying to go to the bathroom this is very unhelpful.
The first step is to get a stool in your bathroom to support your feet. This will elevate your knees higher than your hips and allow the puborectalis pelvic floor muscle to relax. After that, sit up tall and lean forward slightly to support your upper body by putting your elbows on your knees. Then you can start to use your Diaphragmatic Breathing (put a link here) to relax the pelvic floor on the inhale and gently bear down while exhaling. Do NOT hold your breath.
Puborectalis in action
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Squatty Potty popularized the bathroom stool with their silly unicorn ads in 2015 and Pelvic floor PTs have been recommending them ever since!
This foldable stool is budget friendly and discreet. When not in use, you can fold it and store it between the toilet and the wall. Then when you need it, you just unfold it and pop your feet on top. You can see this is my personal favorite!
This is an essential for potty training your child! If you notice they are straining or experiencing more accidents (#1 or #2) it is likely that they need support for their feet.
First Poo After… Vaginal Delivery
Perineal Tears and splinting
Learn to protect your healing perineum during a bowel movement after vaginal delivrey or pelvic surgery.
Pelvic Floor 101
what does it do!?
Learn about the 5 pelvic floor muscle functions. If you are having trouble with any of these functions, you may benefit from pelvic floor PT!