"To properly rehabilitate your perineum, you must first consult a midwife or a specialist physiotherapist to verify that all organs are in their proper place and to measure the tone of the pelvic floor, recommends Marie-Carmen Michel, midwife. liberal.
Some women may have a good ligament system that holds the bladder, but still have a loose perineum that is better toned to avoid future problems: urinary incontinence or organ failure.
The sessions begin with manual testing to assess the extent of the trauma and to make the woman aware of her anatomy. Then follow reinforcement exercises, often performed using a probe inserted into the vagina.
Complete accompaniment
With the biofeedback method, the patient performs a series of voluntary contractions and controls the work of her perineum in real time via a visual feedback (in the form of a curve that illustrates the muscular force exerted).
Once the basic technique is integrated, "exercises are performed standing up, for example by blowing into a balloon to solicit the abdominal muscles", explains Marie-Carmen Michel.
Jumping or simulating a climb of stairs makes it possible to ensure after several sessions that the perineal tone is sufficient to cope without damage to everyday situations of everyday life.
If a woman fails to control her perineum, or if her muscles tire too quickly, electrostimulation is used to induce perineal contractions. The probe then emits small electrical impulses that will activate the nerves responsible for the tone of the perineum.
Home Perineal Rehabilitation: Choosing the right tools
"After several sessions with a health professional, the perineum strengthening exercises can be continued at home," says Marie-Carmen Michel. There are now many high-tech devices for perineal strength training that have proven themselves.
Keat, a wireless electrostimulation probe (305 € in pharmacy on medical prescription), has the advantage of being discreet. Easily rechargeable, it can be used standing up and allows personalized support. Depending on the problem to be solved (stress incontinence, urge incontinence or mixed incontinence), it delivers pulses of different intensity and duration. Ideal for maintenance sessions (30 minutes / day for 2 to 3 months) after learning how to handle it with a midwife.
The boom of "activity trackers" of the perineum
The Elvie probe is a connected activity tracker. Once introduced into the vagina, it communicates via Bluetooth with a free smartphone application that tracks its results on the phone screen using the biofeedback method.
Six fun exercises are offered to boost the perineum in different positions, with increasing levels of difficulty: learning, beginner, intermediate and advanced. For optimal efficiency, three sessions per week are recommended at least (199 € on elvie.com or perineeshop.com).
Its competitor - Perifit - is based on the same principle, with a count of points collected during the exercises to boost motivation (149 €)
And for women reluctant to insert a device, Innovo (formerly Femifree) offers electro-filled shovels that send a low intensity current to the perineum. A way to strengthen your pelvic floor without providing the slightest effort (399 € on www.restorethefloor.com). Three times a week in attack treatment for one month, then once or twice a week for maintenance.
