Pelvic floor expert explains why you should stop going to the toilet 'just in case'
A pelvic floor expert has taken to TikTok to explain the dangers of going to the loo 'just in case', so read on to discover more about your pelvic floor than you probably ever wanted to know.
Everybody's been there, you don't really need to go to the loo but you've got a big event coming up that you can't duck out of so you nip in quickly just to be on the safe side.
You might be about to head into the cinema, popping out for a bit, or maybe you've got relatives coming round and you know you can't leave them unsupervised for any length of time or they'll start arguing.
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Whatever the situation you nip off to the loo and empty your bladder 'just in case', but the effects it could be having on your body aren't good.
Fortunately, that's why god created pelvic floor experts and TikTok to deliver this vital piece of information to us all.
Pelvic floor physiotherapist George had the all important explanation with the help of some simple diagrams.
Drawing out a picture of a bladder with different lines to mark how full it is, the expert explained that the emptier your bladder is when you go to the loo the lower your thresholds for needing a wee get.
She said: "What happens if you start going 'just in case' is that maybe you empty your bladder down here.
"If you repeatedly do that you send messages to the brain that this is an appropriate time to open your bladder. What that does is that moves these lines down, so now you start getting a signal that you could go to the toilet earlier, and that you're busting to go much earlier.
"Your bladder doesn't completely fill. This then can create a pattern of going to the toilet often or feeling really urgent when you need to go because you've essentially retrained your brain to do so."
In other pelvic floor related news, the same expert has said you probably shouldn't wipe more than three times after you've been on the loo.
Apparently if you wipe too much it causes something disgusting sounding called 'faecal smearing', and I apologise profusely if you're reading this while eating.
The expert solution to cut down on the number of wipes you need is to use something called the 'waterfall technique', only it's not lovely crystal clear water that's meant to be flowing here.
George says you can pull off this technique by 'squeezing the anus 20 percent, then 50 percent, 80 percent, and 100 percent' to 'close off the anus sphincter' and get rid of any little bits that are still hanging on and need all those extra wipes to clear away.
Remember this handy little rhyme: If you have a number two, give it three wipes on the loo.
I am so sorry.
Joe Harker