Rectocele is a genital prolapse affecting women exclusively, characterised by a herniation of the rectum into the vaginal cavity. Although the sensation of pelvic heaviness can feel disabling day to day, surgery is not the only option. It is entirely possible to ease the symptoms effectively with targeted exercises done at home.
Here are the 3 key points we will cover in this article:
- Understanding the role of the pelvic floor: discovering the anatomy of the pelvic floor and the direct consequences of its weakening in daily life.
- Doing the right exercises: mastering the Kegel method and learning to engage the deep abdominal muscles to stop excess pressure.
- Carrying out pelvic floor rehabilitation: adopting a regular training routine and relying on biofeedback devices such as the Emy Trainer probe.
Understanding the importance of the pelvic floor and its daily role
The anatomy of the pelvic floor
First of all, what is the pelvic floor? Also called the pelvic diaphragm, it is a kind of hammock made up of ligaments and interwoven muscle layers. The three muscle layers form the superficial, middle and deep pelvic floor.
Located in the pelvis, it stretches from the pubis to the coccyx and reaches the two ischial tuberosities across its width. It supports all of a woman's pelvic organs, namely the bladder, the uterus and the rectum.
💡 Worth knowing: although men have no uterus, they do have a pelvic floor! However, the weight it bears is less than in women.
Men can nonetheless experience pelvic floor problems, linked to hypertrophy (increase in volume) of the prostate.
The impact of the pelvic floor on daily life
The pelvic floor is therefore essential for holding the pelvic organs in place, by exerting constant tension. It also plays an important role in continence, since the urethra and anus pass through it. By controlling the opening of the sphincters, it acts on urination and bowel movements.
Finally, a pelvic floor in good shape encourages better vaginal tone, and therefore more pleasure during sexual intercourse.
🎁 Info: Ladies, if you are fortunate enough to reach orgasm, know that your pelvic floor is partly responsible! Sensations during penetration are markedly heightened by a toned pelvic floor 👍🏻
The consequences of a damaged pelvic floor
When they are overworked, the pelvic floor muscles stretch, and resist less well the weight of the structures they support. Their weakening can then lead to the appearance of problems — not serious, but with a strong impact on daily life…
Among these disabling problems, the most frequent are:
- urinary leaks;
- difficulty holding in wind;
- anal incontinence;
- pelvic heaviness;
- pain during sexual intercourse;
- organ prolapse (rectocele or cystocele);
- and so on.
It is therefore essential to tone your pelvic floor through pelvic floor rehabilitation. Kegel exercises are often cited as the benchmark.
Developed by Dr Arnold Kegel, an American gynaecologist, in the 1940s, they consist of contracting then releasing the pelvic floor in order to strengthen it. They are strongly recommended during pregnancy or the postpartum period.
🤰🏻 Mothers-to-be: if you give birth by caesarean, pelvic floor rehabilitation is not optional! In the months leading up to the birth, the baby, the amniotic fluid and the uterus weigh heavily on the pelvic floor. Even without a vaginal delivery, the pelvic floor may have suffered during this period.
Toning your pelvic floor with Kegel exercises to ease a rectocele
Breathing, ally of the pelvic floor
To begin, and in order to feel the pelvic floor contraction clearly, the exercises should be done lying down. Settle comfortably on your back, somewhere quiet, on a yoga mat for example. The legs should be bent so that the back is flat and well stretched, without arching. The feet are hip-width apart. Become aware of your breathing: breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
🧘🏻 Tip: focus on the air coming in and out, make deep movements with your eyes closed.
The quick contraction: exercising the pelvic floor while breathing
Once you are attentive to your breathing and properly relaxed, it is time to start feeling your pelvic floor:
- Begin by emptying your lungs, then take a deep breath in through the nose.
- As soon as your ribcage is full, breathe out gently through the mouth while contracting the muscles, as if you were holding back an urgent need. The whole pelvic floor should be engaged, including the front, because the rectocele must not make you neglect the other pelvic floor structures.
- Release before breathing in, and take up the contraction again on the next out-breath.
- Do the exercise over 5 breaths, then take a 5-second break before starting again.
- Perform this exercise 3 times in a row, contracting your pelvic floor as hard as possible, to the limit of your capacity.
🙅🏻 Careful: do not contract the buttocks, the inner thighs or the superficial abdominal muscles to help you engage the pelvic floor. To begin with, only the pelvic floor should be engaged during these exercises.
Locking the pelvic floor: holding a medium contraction
Still lying down with legs bent, the next exercise consists of performing a medium but prolonged pelvic floor contraction. As in the previous exercise, on the out-breath, lock your pelvic floor at 60 % and hold the contraction for 6 seconds. Then release the pelvic floor for 12 seconds: the working time is half the rest time. Do this exercise 3 times in a row, clearly picturing the pelvic floor rising towards the abdomen.
🧠 Memory aid: think of the multiples of 6 to remember this exercise (6 seconds, 60 %, 12 seconds)!
By training regularly, you will manage to feel and hold the medium intensity of the contraction better. Apply this exercise to protect your pelvic floor from the efforts of your daily activities: standing up, walking or carrying a heavy load.
It is essential to remember to protect your pelvic floor from movements that can create excess pressure, so as not to worsen the genital prolapse. And to ease the symptoms of a rectocele, these contraction exercises are very easy to apply day to day.
The maximum contraction: testing pelvic floor strength
The last exercise proposed calls on the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor. After becoming aware of your breathing, breathe out through the mouth and contract your pelvic floor as hard as possible. Your breathing should stay natural — do not force your breath. The exercise is to be done over a full minute!
The pelvic floor contraction must stay maximal to the end. If you feel the muscle giving way, increase the pelvic floor tension again. This exercise must not be done several times in a row. Allow at least a minute of recovery, with complete release of the pelvic floor.
🌬 Tip: count the seconds out loud to avoid holding your breath, the sworn enemy of the pelvic floor! The build-up of air in the lungs could create excess abdominal pressure, which is harmful to pelvic floor rehabilitation.
To make the most of your chances of easing a rectocele, these exercises should be done daily, in different positions. Consistency is the key to success! Set up a routine: during feeds, at bedtime, in the car, in the shower, in front of the television, and so on.
🏆 Train daily and do these three exercises in different positions: sitting, standing and lying down. You will become an expert in pelvic floor rehabilitation and will see progress quickly!
Using the abdominal muscles to protect your pelvic floor
Understanding the synergy between the transverse abdominal muscle and the pelvic floor
During the previous exercises, you may have noticed that when you contract your pelvic floor, the abdominal muscles respond too. This is because the deepest of the abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominis, works in synergy with the pelvic floor muscles.
It is essential to understand that the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles work together, in order to carry out correct pelvic floor rehabilitation. The transverse abdominis complements the pelvic floor for several reasons:
- Like an abdominal belt, it holds the organs in place, while the pelvic floor supports them at pelvic level.
- It takes part in breathing which is, remember, the pelvic floor's ally!
- Because of its anatomy, comparable to an abdominal girdle, it can increase intra-abdominal pressure. This mechanism is essential to bowel movements and urination, and accompanies the action of the pelvic floor on the sphincters.
- Its contraction comes into play when coughing, sneezing, laughing or vomiting — all the movements that also engage the pelvic floor.
The following exercises make it possible to contract the pelvic floor and the transverse abdominis in synergy.
Simple exercises to feel the deep abdominal muscles contract
Engaging the pelvic floor and hypopressive contraction of the transverse abdominis
Lie on your back, bend your legs and flatten your shoulder blades against the floor. Still in this position, stretch your back well, arms alongside the body — you should lengthen without arching your back.
Breathe naturally, becoming aware of the movements of your abdomen, feeling the ribs widen as you breathe in. Breathe out through the mouth while gently engaging the pelvic floor, at 30 %, then draw the belly in from the pubis to the navel, lengthening to stretch the spine.
This exercise creates a depression in the abdominal cavity, which has the effect of drawing the pelvic floor upwards, and therefore relieving it. Do 8 to 10 movements, without contracting the buttocks.
Lower contraction of the transverse abdominis
In the same position as for the previous exercise, place a cushion or a small ball between the knees.
On each out-breath, engage the pelvic floor (30 %), hollow the belly then squeeze the cushion between your knees, lengthening as you go. You should feel a more pronounced contraction below the navel, the lower part of the transverse abdominis. Do this exercise 8 to 10 times.
Upper contraction of the transverse abdominis
Taking the same position as in the first exercise, now take hold of a resistance band. Place it at the level of your elbows, arms stretched towards the ceiling, at 90° to the floor.
On each out-breath, engage the pelvic floor (30 %), draw the belly in then spread the elbows apart, still lengthening. This time you will feel the transverse abdominis contract under the ribs, the upper part of the muscle. Do this exercise 8 to 10 times.
The glute bridge exercise
The last movement starts from the same position as the first exercise, without any equipment. On the out-breath, engage the pelvic floor (30 %), draw the belly in then lift the pelvis off the floor.
For correct execution, the back must stay straight and the contraction of the pelvic floor and transverse abdominis must be maintained. Still breathing out, slowly lower your back to the floor, vertebra by vertebra, down to the pelvis. Do this exercise 8 to 10 times.
Using your abdominal muscles well to protect the pelvic floor from excess pressure
Understanding the action of the transverse abdominis matters for protecting your pelvic floor. If the abdominal muscles are not properly engaged, all the abdominal pressure will bear down on the pelvic floor, with the risk of weakening it over time. It is essential to use the abdominal girdle properly to direct the tension upwards rather than towards the pelvic floor.
Hypopressive exercise is therefore crucial: it is applied every day! Every movement of daily life — coughing, sneezing, carrying heavy loads, sport and so on — can strain your pelvic floor.
During pelvic floor rehabilitation, remember to practise gentle sports that do not overwork your pelvic floor: cycling, swimming, yoga or Pilates, for example.
By mastering the synergy of the pelvic floor and hypopressive abdominal work, you will find it easier to ease your rectocele.
❌ Avoid high-impact and/or high-pressure sports such as running, CrossFit, skipping or trampolining.
Considering a medical device to exercise your pelvic floor
Emy Trainer, the interactive connected probe for training at home
To make the most of your chances of maintaining a functional pelvic floor and better managing your urinary symptoms, regular exercise can be combined with the use of a connected probe, such as Emy Trainer.
This medical device makes it possible to rehabilitate your pelvic floor at home, independently, thanks to biofeedback. It is used by specialists because it gives patients instant feedback on a physiological activity, such as muscle function.
This recent technology, also called "biological feedback", gives you the possibility of capturing the contractions of your pelvic floor.
Through a mobile app, you see your progress unfold in real time, thanks to varied medical games. All these playful exercises are designed to help manage symptoms better, as regular user Ghislaine reports (testimonial originally collected in French).
Above all, the effectiveness of this medical device is clinically proven. With the Emy probe, pelvic floor rehabilitation becomes enjoyable, and encourages users to do the exercises regularly.
📱 The app will even send notifications to your smartphone, so you do not forget your session!
Pelvic floor electrostimulation devices
It is sometimes necessary to consult a healthcare professional — a midwife or a specialist physiotherapist — to ease a rectocele. The use of a vaginal probe, connected to a pelvic floor electrostimulator, is then recommended, in order to speed up pelvic floor rehabilitation.
By stimulating the nerves of the pelvic floor muscles with small painless electrical impulses, the pelvic floor gradually tones up. Specific preset programmes can ease different symptoms (incontinence, pain, prolapse, and so on).
Other accessories for maintaining your pelvic floor
Other natural solutions exist to ease a rectocele, or strengthen a weakened pelvic floor. Vaginal cones and Ben Wa balls can be used alongside sessions carried out in a clinic.
Wrongly seen as mere sex toys, Ben Wa balls are considerable allies for pelvic floor strengthening. Specialists sometimes recommend them to optimise rehabilitation exercises.
Many women turn to these effective alternatives to regain better sensations during intercourse when living with a genital prolapse.
Vaginal cones, or weights, make it possible to test the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles, using lighter or heavier loads.
They tone the pelvic floor in just a few minutes, provided you are consistent. Like Ben Wa balls, they gradually rehabilitate the pelvic floor. Their position in the vagina, slightly lower than Ben Wa balls, engages the superficial pelvic floor muscles more.
As you will have gathered, easing a rectocele by regularly doing exercises at home is entirely possible. Be diligent and consistent in your practice, and you will get encouraging results quickly. The symptoms of organ prolapse, which you may feel day to day, will gradually begin to fade.
Key takeaways for relieving your pelvic floor
- Become aware of your anatomy: identifying muscular weaknesses and adopting the right habits day to day is the first step towards limiting prolapse.
- Strengthen your muscles actively: combining pelvic floor locking (Kegel) with transverse abdominis work on a daily basis makes it possible to reduce pelvic heaviness lastingly.
- Sustain your results: equipping yourself with a suitable medical tool is a fitting way to check your contractions and keep your motivation over time with Emy Trainer.
Sources
- Conservative prevention and management of pelvic organ prolapse in women, Suzanne Hagen, Diane Stark, December 2011, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011(12):CD003882 – link
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: ACOG Practice Bulletin, Number 214, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, November 2019, Obstetrics and Gynecology 134(5):e126-e142 – link
- Prospective evaluation of the connected biofeedback EMY Kegel trainer in the management of stress urinary incontinence, Jochum F et al., February 2022, Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction 51(2):102280 – link
