Three Reasons Why Your Pelvic Floor Therapist Wants You to Use a Squatty Potty:
Dealing with constipation, bladder leakage, or feelings of incomplete emptying? Wish your bowel movements were more satisfying? If you aren’t using a squatty potty already, here are three reasons why you should buy one ASAP:
When we sit on a standard toilet, our knees are typically at hip height or even lower than our hips, as is the case with many tall toilets (or for shorter people). However, unless our knees are above our hips, our pelvic floor muscles will be unable to completely relax to allow for a complete bowel movement without straining. Using a squatty potty places the knees above hip height while seated on the toilet, eliminating the need for straining, leading to better pelvic floor health.
“The Poop Drives the Pee”, meaning that constipation often leads to bladder leakage. This is because the longer stool takes in transit through the colon, the more water it leaches from the bladder. The remaining urine becomes more concentrated, irritating the bladder lining and increasing the likelihood of the bladder leakage. Furthermore, constipation weakens the pelvic floor, reducing its capacity to hold in urine.
Constipation weakens the pelvic floor, increasing the likelihood of pelvic organ prolapse. With pelvic organ prolapse, the bladder, uterus and/or rectum lose support, leading to their descent toward and/or into the vaginal canal. This can cause incontinence, urgency, pain or discomfort.
Give your pelvic floor some love, buy it a squatty potty! If you continue to experience leakage, constipation or pain despite the use of a squatty potty, a pelvic floor therapist can help. Click the contact form below to take the first step toward a free phone consultation.