PHYSIO Bowel Movement 101: How to Relax Anus, STOP Straining and RELIEVE Pelvic Pain

How to relieve pelvic pain, constipation and straining during bowel movements with pelvic floor spasm. Physiotherapist Michelle www.pelvicexercises.com.au shows correct bowel emptying to break the cycle of chronic pelvic pain with pelvic floor spasm.
Timestamps for Bowel Movements and Pelvic Pain with Pelvic Floor Spasm
0:00 Pelvic pain and pelvic spasm cycle
0:57 Bowel movement position for pelvic floor relaxation
1:28 Straining increases pelvic pain and spasm
2:00 Correct stool consistency
2:04 Constipation strategy
2:12 Bowel movement technique
2:18 Deep breathing exercises
2:50 Support perineum
3:27 Moo to Poo bowel movement
4:11 Practicing bowel movement technique
Straining with constipation stretches the pelvic floor muscles and tissues. This stretch can exacerbate pelvic pain and perpetuate the cycle of chronic pelvic pain, straining, and constipation.
Bowl emptying is best with a soft, well-formed stool. If you're constipated see your doctor or pharmacist for advice regarding stool softening medication
Step 1: When the urge to empty your bowel arises, resist the temptation to defer. Sit on the toilet rather than hovering.
Step 2: Lean forward, placing your hands or elbows on your thighs, and maintaining a long spine with a gentle inward curve in your lower back.
For additional support, you can consider using folded toilet paper or a pad to provide gentle support to your perineum-the area of skin located in front of your anus. This support can reduce the downward stretch of your pelvic floor muscles during the bowel movement, effectively alleviating pelvic pain associated with muscle tension.
Step 3: Take a deep breath and start emptying your bowel. Engage in slow, deep belly breaths to encourage the relaxation of your pelvic floor muscles, facilitating a smoother and more comfortable bowel movement.
Step 4: Moo to Poo Bowel Movement Technique. By widening your waist and generating pushing power (without pushing down through your rectum and anus), you can facilitate the passage of stool. Accompany this action by bulging your belly forward, saying "OOO." This intentional relaxation of your anal sphincter eases the process further.
Remember, the goal is to widen your waist, not bear down or push forcefully. If you require additional pressure, repeat the "Moo" technique. But always prioritize the avoidance of pushing down or bearing down through your rectum and anus during the bowel movement.
Incorporating this bowel movement technique helps break the cycle of straining, pelvic pain, and constipation often caused by tight pelvic floor muscles.
#bowelmovement #pelvicpain #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy
References
Bristol Stool Chart
Attribution Flominator, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Disclaimer
The information provided in this video is intended as general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice regarding your medical condition. To the extent permitted by law, neither Healthy Fit Solutions Pty Ltd, as trustee for the P & M Kenway Family Trust (“we”), nor any of our officers, employees, agents or related bodies corporate will be liable in any way (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, costs or expenses suffered by you or claims made against you through your use of, or in connection with, this video or information supplied or offered to be supplied on this video. Although we use our best efforts to provide accurate information and other materials on this video, the video is provided “as-is”. To the extent permitted by law, all warranties, conditions and representations provided about or by this video are excluded.

[@sarahlee4683]

Thank you! BMs have been the worst part of my day for months due to the severe pain I experience for hours after a bm. Theres been a host of reasons for this but realizing the ‘why’ of no staining because of the spasm it creates and relation to the pelvic floor makes so much sense. Finally I have some hope that I can have normal painless bms in the future.

[@mellainenewman576]

Brilliant advice! I love all your marvellous helpful hints. Many blessings and thank you so much.❤🙏🥰Mellaine from Brisbane

[@cherylpedinoff3205]

Wow i will try this.Thank you for your health information. Ive been suffering this everyday for months its a new problem and its agony. I feel hopefull.

[@emveeyaar]

Thanks! I hope this will help me

[@DebbieGauthier-zs8yh]

Thank you

[@russsherman6427]

Thank you so much

[@michellephysio]

You're most welcome :)

[@gsti1985]

Hi Michelle - found your videos helpful

[@michellephysio]

@gsti1985 Thank you for finding the videos helpful! Thanks so much for your feedback and support❤️🌺

[@prasannabenger1596]

Ok thanks

[@naturegirl4074]

Thank you Michelle! ❤ You’re amazing. I think I’ve been watching you for a couple years now?

[@michellephysio]

@naturegirl4074 yes you have & I am really grateful to you for your comments and ongoing support. It really is a privilege to be able to provide you with information, I hope it benefits your life in some small way 🌸🙏

[@naturegirl4074]

@@michellephysio you have taught me so much :) You have definitely helped me and so many others ❤️ Bless you.

[@cherylxu9227]

Hi Dr. Kenway, Thanks for sharing the techniques! I will try these out. I have a quick question regarding the reason of pelvic floor strain. I had a fall from stairs a couple of years ago and it hurt my tailbone. Would that be a reason to introduce the pelvic floor muscles strain? Thank you!

[@dmydesigns72]

Thank you. I have anismus. It happened right after a sacrum adjustment. It's been very taxing on my body and mind. I will try this. I'm in the USA. Have not found a doctor to help me.

[@ella-ti6jr]

Please answer, I don't understand how you breathe during this mmm-ooo- tecnique. Is the mm and oo both on the outbreath? Or mm on the inbreath and oo on the outbreath? How do you syncronise breath and this tecnique?

[@naturegirl4074]

I so needed this refresher. ❤ I can’t feel my sides move on mmmm though. :(

[@edzanjero353]

Michelle, thank you for these great videos. I've been belly breathing and doing the "Moo maneuver" for a few years with good success. Question: as a senior having had a lazy sphincter for years, can anal sphincter tone be revitalized with Kegel type exercises?

[@mackatz3376]

Michelle, I have IBS C really bad. I don't have PW pain. So will this technique help me poop more easily? Mark in Texas Ty

[@MHb789]

What can be done if theres no urge to poop at all?How to create a daily routine?

[@showusjustice523]

O need to know this too

[@vcwloves9864]

Request lactulose as a daily medication. This helped me tremendously!!!

[@carriesharp77]

@@vcwloves9864what is that

[@jennmarie8719]

Thank you for another helpful video! Curiosity, what does it indicate when you have soft stool in the colon/ rectum that just sits there and won't move? I have an elongated sigmoid colon, but I do wonder what else might be happening and why I can't go 😢

[@michellephysio]

@jeanmarie8719 there may be a number of reasons for this for example sometimes the rectum can’t sense the stool , rectocele (prolapse of back wall of vagina) and others too. Pelvic floor physio assessment may help or rectal imaging can be used to determine the cause and then appropriate management instigated . Hope this helps you source some assistance, cheers!

[@adriennecollett3937]

Have adhesions . And wonder if there’s an help for that kind of issue as it concerns trying to either empty or at least know when the signal to go will give enough time to make it. People on adhesions support groups don’t seem to offer any insight. Hope you can speak to that

[@michellephysio]

@adriennecollett3937 yes this is a difficult issue. Adhesions are a bit like internal scar tissue and they can impact people in different ways depending on where they are located and the extent as well. The principle of not straining and emptying in the manner described in this video really applies to almost everyone. Are you having trouble with urgently needing to empty your bowel too?

[@SkipRoche31]

This was interesting thank you. By the way the second picture of the man, that’s how my little boy sits on the toilet

[@Icemanツ]

I’m not sure but I feel like the height of the toilet can possibly play a large factor, for instance l, your whole life you were used to relaxing your legs at a specific seat height and then you move and the seat prevent you from relaxing your legs? I’m not sure but it was just a thought

[@whitedove6191]

Thank you. Had ostomy reversal surgery six months ago and my bowels are still learning how to process food and poop again. My rectal cancer was very close to my anus so I am missing a lot of tissue in that area and I am either running to the bathroom with urgent stools or I feel constipated and only little by little is released. Sometimes it seems like there are no muscles moving to help push the stool out, other times it seems like there is some strength, so I am on the web seeing how I can gain better toilet habits and sitting correctly and exercises to increase the pressure in the abd. and use the proper methods of pushing. I have screws and rods in my back so staining is hard for me. I am also aiming for that perfect daily BM through diet. I found 3 ounces of prune juice every morning is really helping. Perhaps you could cover such things as post op recovery after a ostomy for 4 months, how to get your bowels to work properly again! I did try the pushing out the side exercise 30 times, got up, changed clothes for bed and had to run back to the bathroom to go! It worked!

[@nwheatcraft]

Used your earlier video for this before. It was helpful. I had, what im guessing, is a very sudden onset of ibsc start with me recently. Under a lot of stress and grieving. Ive been trying to improve my diet and exercise but feel stuck with a bristol1 kind of feces. Taking miralax and prune juice trying to soften but im unsure the water is making its way down to the end where its dry. Not sure what to do...

[@michellephysio]

@nwheatcraft yes sometimes the stool can be really hard in the rectum. Speak with your pharmacist first but sometimes a rectal suppository can help empty the stool in the rectum to allow the softer stool to pass. Remember the suppository needs to go against the wall of the rectum not into the centre of the stool to be effective.

[@Zlata1Z]

The same thing here. Please let me know if you tried a rectal suppository (as per Michelle's recommendation). If yes, what type did you try? Did it work? Stay strong.

[@paullang1961]

👍

[@gsti1985]

I have both stool and urine retention and find doctors not quite understand the issue. Urologists are clueless. I don’t have enlarged prostrate. I’m in my 50’s. I do have a very good BM in the morning. However the residual left (10-20%) from morning gives me hell durning PM hours. I don’t get peristalsis after morning BM and only clue to eject residual stool is urine retention. I go to urinate but I can’t urinate until the residual stool has been removed. I can’t remove the residual stool in one sitting. So PM hours are very tough. Please help.

[@YonkoAcuna]

See a pelvic floor pelvic therapist. Sounds like tight pelvic floor muscles/ pelvic floor dysfunction

[@terryjbrown6953]

What can you do if you can't reach back there near your anise? I have a bad back and shoulder so I can't reach to do that.

[@michellephysio]

@terryjbrown6953 no problem with the action Terry, you can still do the brace and bulge technique to empty and reduce the downward strain on your pelvic floor. All the best!

[@xxxnini]

Pls make a hemorrhoid/anal fissure safe workouts too huhu

[@divyadevmurari553]

Hi Michelle Thank you for this amazing video. I don’t have any problem while emptying my Bowels but it can be fissure or haemorrhoid prblm. But after sitting for 2 to 3 hrs I feel pain in Anus. Can you help me to relief this anal pain while sitting..??

[@YS-ox3so]

I suffer from not getting the urge to poop. Is there something that can help with this?

[@jeggerjackkuchiki6792]

you have to eat food that have laxative effect on your intestines . and also physical activities helps especially running.

[@Yahoo.Jackie]

Thanks dear but why am I having a hot air coming out of me, i did the exercise and the pain is no more but Hot 🔥🔥 air😭😭😭 really makes me think am dieing

[@michellephysio]

✨Download Pelvic Pain & Pelvic Relaxation Physiotherapy for Women and Men NOW www.pelvicexercises.com.au/product-category/pelvic-pain-therapy/✨

[@Melissa-me]

Didn’t work

[@pratik2998]

Hey Michelle. I have had hemorrhoids and fissurss but recently I've recovered from them. Only problem now is that i have recently not being able to poop. My anus doesnt open up and is super tight. Do you have any solution for me please. This is creating small fissures every morning

[@michellephysio]

@pratick2998 yes I understand. Pratik this video shows you the solution. When you do the movement technique I demonstrate this opens the anal sphincter and this is the safe way to do this saying "OOO" I hope this helps you Pratik

[@pratik2998]

​@@michellephysio thanks Michelle. Your previous videos also helped me a lot where it showed to inhale into belly and exhale. That was a game changer. I hope you come up with videos like these in the future. Also do you think dilation with fingers and massage in the canal will help in general? Thanks!!

[@michellephysio]

@pratik2998 avoid manual dilation techniques unless prescribed by a health professional Pratik. Can you see a pelvic floor Physio for assessment of PF muscle tension?

[@pratik2998]

@@michellephysio thanks sure I will reach out to a pelvic floor expert. And making the OOO sound helped a tonne.. Do you think it's more of a pelvic floor issue than the tightening of anal canal?

[@jenniferhampton5171]

How did you heal from your hemorrhoids and fissures?

[@9372463]

None of this works for me

[@michellephysio]

@9372463 yes constipation is challenging I understand. First place to start is stool consistency; stool must be soft & well formed for this technique to work. Constipation massage kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXmYqYmgrJ2se9Usi=LXcm6Cco-KlMkW4S is also fantastic for bowel movement. I hope this is helpful 🙏🌻

[@dounodaway]

Ok but each time i try i just clench instantly and i stop

[@Janet126]

I sometimes get intense pain up my anus after a bowel motion and frequently after an orgasm. The pain is so intense after an orgasm that I'm relucant to allow myself to climax which is affecting my relationship with my partner. Is there anything I can do to relieve that?

[@michellephysio]

@Janet126 you may like to view this video related to your question rather than me providing a lengthy response, I hope this information is helpful kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6fRh6yXgZ12bbc If not speak with your doctor about this condition all the best

[@Janet126]

@@michellephysio Thanks Michelle. I'll watch it now.

[@michellephysio]

@@Janet126 Let me know if this rings true...

[@kristinbaker5244]

Urgent urgency!!! Hemorrhoid surgery!!! Help relax to reduce pain!!

[@lindagates9150]

I think about you every day you have improved my life from front to backside 😅😊🤭👋🏻🧝🏼🤚🏻🌟🌺🌟🖖🖖🖖🍀💫🍀👍👍👍🌟🌺🌟

[@michellephysio]

@lindagates9150 I’m so glad to read this, brings joy to my heart 🌸