Rectocele is a form of pelvic organ prolapse caused when tissue between the rectum and vagina weakens, leading to pain, an uncomfortable feeling as “something is there”, or difficulties urinating.
Causes for pelvic floor weakness may include age, difficult vaginal delivery using forceps or vacuum, abdominal tearing during childbirth and chronic constipation.
Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises (also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises) can strengthen and relax the rectum-supporting muscles, and relax those that regulate bowel movements. When performed properly, Kegels can be helpful for relieving rectocele caused by tight or spastic pelvic muscles that contribute to rectocele. To perform Kegel exercises properly, squeeze and hold pelvic muscles for five seconds at a time before relaxing them for several seconds after which you repeat. Do this approximately 10 times every day either sitting down or lying down; and always empty your bladder first before starting!
Once you begin practicing Kegel exercises correctly and consistently, it may take some time before they become second nature. When starting out, practicing several times per day may be necessary at first; eventually they’ll come naturally. The goal of Kegel exercises is to tighten and hold your pelvic muscles without moving other ones like those found in your abdomen (belly), leg, or buttock – use your fingers inside vagina or rectal area to locate which muscles to squeeze, imagine trying to stop urine flow from occurring, or place one hand on stomach/buttock feeling for tightening sensations if need be.
Men may have difficulty pinpointing their abdominal muscles. One way is to squeeze or contract them while going to the bathroom or before urinating; you could also try doing so before engaging in activities that might put strain on them like sneezing, coughing, laughing or heavy lifting that put stress on that region of the abdomen.
If you’re having difficulty identifying specific muscles, consulting with a physical therapist or doctor will help. They may suggest aids such as vaginal weighted cones and biofeedback devices (which include placing sensors into your vaginal or rectum to measure pressure), to give feedback on how well your exercises are going.
Kegel exercises should be practiced regularly to maintain strength. Some individuals report improved symptoms like reduced urine leaks after weeks or months of regular practice; other women don’t see an improvement in prolapse symptoms or severity after participating in Kegel exercises.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Kegel exercises and other pelvic floor contractions can help women thwart early-stage prolapse by strengthening pelvic floor muscles during prolapse. When this occurs, organs begin shifting out of place as the pelvic floor muscles weaken, leading to organ shift. Women may experience rectocele (rectum bulging into back vaginal wall) or cystocele (bladder protrusion from anus), both types of prolapse being caused by weak or weakened pelvic floor muscles that weaken over time – both types can be corrected through regular exercise regimen.
The pelvic floor muscles are layers of muscle stretched like a hammock from the pubic bone in front to the coccyx (backbone) for men, or from anus (anus in women) in women to coccyx for both sexes (coccyx). They support openings through which urine and stool pass – anus for males; vagina and urethra in females.
Rectocele or cystocele symptoms include feeling something is inside you, difficulty passing urine and urinary leakage. While any of these could affect any of the pelvic openings, rectocele tends to manifest most visibly through an anus opening.
Prolapses occur as a result of weak pelvic floor muscles, often from various sources such as age and hormonal changes in women, chronic coughing from respiratory conditions or smoking, heavy lifting and strain from strain can strain and weaken them further. Women going through long and complex labors or multiple births may also stretch and damage these vital muscles further.
Some individuals living with rectocele or cystocele may struggle to contract their pelvic floor muscles when sitting down or rising from a chair, making contracting easier than anticipated difficult. A health care provider can be invaluable in helping identify and activate the correct muscles by inserting their finger into vagina to feel for any squeeze that confirms contracting of proper ones. Other individuals may benefit from working with physical therapists or nurses trained in biofeedback to understand and visualize movement within pelvic muscles.
Defecation Exercises
Fecal incontinence, which occurs when stool leaks out while performing certain activities like coughing, sneezing or laughing, usually responds well to pelvic floor muscle exercises like Kegels. Kegels strengthen muscles of the anus that control defecation thereby reducing or eliminating incontinence altogether. They may also help alleviate rectocele– a condition involving prolapse of pelvic organs into anal canal posterior walls – by strengthening these muscle groups.
Rectocele symptoms may include pain or an uncomfortable sensation that something is stuck inside, incontinence and the feeling that the rectum has bulged outward. Early-stage prolapses are manageable and even reversible when nonsurgical methods of treatment are followed (1).
Pelvic floor and anal muscle exercises help strengthen the muscles that support your rectum, and can prevent prolapse. A doctor or physical therapist can teach you how to do these exercises effectively; make sure to practice daily, with periodic check-ins with your provider (2).
Kegel exercises involve gently tightening your pelvic region muscle, without feeling uncomfortable or being unable to complete them. To perform a Kegel exercise, lay back with bent knees. Put your fingers into your anus, tightening muscles to push them out as though you were about to poop. Perform 10 repetitions of this sequence to complete one set of Kegel exercises.
As well as Kegel exercises, individuals with anal incontinence can benefit from dynamic release biofeedback. A water-filled rectal balloon simulates defecation sensations to teach patients how to relax their anal sphincter and pelvic floor muscles during defecation and improve and maintain their pattern of defecation for improved control of anal incontinence while simultaneously decreasing or eliminating rectocele (3).
Fecal incontinence can be effectively managed using biofeedback techniques that involve strengthening of the anal sphincter through smooth sensors placed within anal canals and monitors providing visual feedback of muscle contractions (4). Such training enables patients to gain an understanding of how anal sphincters function while also strengthening coordination between abdominal muscles and anal sphincters during defecation (5).
Vaginal Taping
Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) surgery uses a strip of mesh to provide support to your urethra. You may require this surgery if you suffer from stress urinary incontinence, which refers to urine leakage during activities like laughing, coughing, sneezing or lifting something heavy. Stress incontinence may be caused by weak pelvic floor muscles which have been stretched or damaged during childbirth; incontinence may also arise as a result of being overweight or smoking.
Under local anesthesia, surgery will be completed without any pain during the process. Your doctor will make three cuts: one in your vagina and two near the groin area in your belly/inner thigh area near groin. Once these incisions have healed, a special man-made (synthetic) mesh tape strip will be inserted through each vaginal incision into under your urethra before its ends are secured by two smaller cuts made on either belly/inner thigh area incisions secured to belly/inner thigh incisions before closing them all off.
After your surgery is over, a catheter may be required for you to pass urine. After this time has passed, however, normal activities can resume quickly: working and driving are both possible within days, while sexual activity should return within six weeks; heavy lifting or strenuous exercise will need to be avoided for several months postoperatively.
If you wish to become pregnant in the near future, this surgery should not be performed. Scarring and complications such as recurrent vaginitis or urinary tract infection could occur; similarly, it is not advisable for women who already suffer from other pelvic problems like cystocele or prolapsed uterus.
If you are suffering from stress incontinence, pelvic floor electrical stimulation (PFE) could be of benefit. PFE involves intermittent electrical impulses delivered at regular intervals to stimulate nerve and muscle tissues to strengthen your pelvic floor and relieve symptoms. A physiotherapist will recommend the appropriate PFE treatments for you – these may take place either in-clinic or home therapy; your therapist can provide detailed instruction manuals to guide treatments at home if this option appeals.
