Strong and Vital No 2

Pelvic Floor

Give Your Organs the Space They Need

Imagine your abdominal organs. Your intestines, liver, gall bladder, stomach, spleen, pancreas, kid neys, bladder, uterus or prostate and how they lie in your abdo minal cavity and are structured, wrapped and held in place by fascia. The so-called peritoneum lines the abdominal cavity and the abdominal and back mus cles form the side walls, the dia phragm the upper end and the pelvic floor the lower end. Thanks to this elastic envelope, we can move freely.

But be careful: the breathing move ment into the abdominal cavity and thus the organ movement only takes place when the body is in a longi tudinally tensed position. Try the self-test now. Put yourself in a slou ched position, as we often find our selves doing at the computer, and observe your breathing movement. In a slouched position, this is almost imperceptible in the abdomen, as we can only breathe into the chest. This means that your organs are not being rocked. Your organs are also pushed for wards and downwards in a slouched position. You can clearly see and feel how the abdomen bulges outwards in a slouched position.

Movement also takes place in the abdominal cavity. Not only the movement of the intestines and the pulsation of our heart and arteries, but also the movement of our breath, which moves all our organs. Every time we inhale, the diaphragm lowers towards the abdomen so that fresh air flows into the lungs. This lowering of the diaphragm leads to a downward shift of the abdominal organs towards the pelvic floor and to all sides of the torso, be it the abdomen, waist or back. As you exhale, the diaphragm swings back up into the chest cavity, allowing the breath to flow out. This also causes the abdominal organs to move inwards and upwards again. This organ movement, triggered by breathing, is important for the functioning and health of the organs. Feel this and place your hands on your stomach and observe how your stomach rises and falls, including your abdominal organs. Organs are rocked back and forth day and night. If we add up the distances of the organ movements, this can be up to 300 metres a day!

As the organs consist mainly of water, they cannot be compressed if there is a lack of space. Your organs always remain the same size. This is why they are forced to shift forwards and downwards in a slouched posi tion due to the reduction in space between the ribcage and pelvis. This puts pressure on the pelvic floor and also on the bladder. Place one hand on your pubic bone and the other hand on your breastbone and note the distance between your hands in a stretched position and then in a bent position and how your stomach changes. You can also measure this distance between your ster num and pubic bone with a tape measure. Just as the distance is in the stretched position, it should also be the same in all prolonged positions, such as when dri ving, working in the office, walking or standing. Even on the sofa, make sure that the distance between your sternum and pubic bone remains long. To make this easier for you, a cushion or two in the small of your back can help. In the case of problems with the pelvic floor, bladder and especially organ prolapse, it is extremely important to give the organs space and thus avoid pressure. This is why a longitudinally tensed posture and a focus on the distance between the pubic bone and sternum are of the utmost relevance and enable beneficial organ movement.

Yvonne Keller

Born 1965

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STRONG and VITAL No. 2 - 2024