Understanding Prolapse & What You Can Do About It

Prolapse is a word that brings about a lot of questions and emotions. Will I need surgery? Why did this happen? What exercises should I be doing? Unfortunately, many people who come to our clinic with either suspected or diagnosed prolapse feel afraid. We are here to explain all the things prolapse and to tell you that you CAN resolve your symptoms without surgery!

What is a prolapse?

Prolapse simply means that you have lost some support under your pelvic organs (ie. the bladder, rectum, or uterus) and this has caused one or more of these organs to be positioned lower than intended. What you likely feel is pelvic pressure and heaviness. Some people describe it as if their insides are “falling out.” You may even be able to see or feel a bulging in the vaginal canal.

Prolapse is diagnosed by a Pelvic Floor Therapist or another medical provider (such as MD or midwife) and is graded on a scale of 0-4 for severity. It’s important to know that in most cases, the intensity of symptoms outweighs the degree of prolapse!

I’ll say that again…Usually your prolapse isn’t as bad as the symptoms make you feel. This isn’t stated in an effort to minimize things, but instead, to give you some peace of mind about what your body is going through and how it can recover.

Why does someone develop a prolapse?

Prolapse develops as a result of excessive pressure downward on the pelvic floor muscles. This can occur as a result of:

✅chronic straining/constipation

✅ heavy weightlifting with inefficient technique/breathing

✅ chronic coughs

✅ pregnancy (even if you’ve had a c-section)

✅vaginal childbirth.

Can prolapse be fixed?

Here’s the good news….Pelvic floor therapy is a very effective, non-invasive, treatment approach that can RESOLVE your symptoms and enable you to avoid any worsening of your prolapse. This means that your heaviness/pressure/discomfort can COMPLETELY go away.

Pelvic floor therapy uses a variety of techniques to achieve these results including manual (hands-on) therapy, exercises for strengthening, pressure management strategies (ie. how you’re moving, posture, & breathing), and more. Kegels get a lot of attention but these are not always the most efficient way to improve symptoms and in many cases they can make the issue worse.

Get started today

We recommend consulting with a pelvic floor specialist, to find out how best to tackle your prolapse but here are 2 things you can do to get you started:

1️⃣ Lie on your back with your legs elevated and a pillow under your butt when you have symptoms. This will alleviate some of the pressure you may be feeling.

2️⃣ Practice breathing into your abdominals, slowly and deeply, 2-3x/day and be sure to feel your ribcage expanding. This will help move your diaphragm which is needed for pelvic floor coordination.