My Personal Prolapse Story: From Discovery to Recovery
By Trista Zinn, Founder, Coreset Fitness/Director & Owner Hypopressives Canada
Please note this is an abridged version of my story.
As a personal trainer who specialized in pre/postnatal training and working with older adults, pelvic floor health was commonly mentioned. At the time, I was unaware of the varying stages of incontinence, nor did I know that 40-50% of women in their lifetime would suffer from some form of pelvic floor dysfunction. ‘Pelvic Floor dysfunction’ was becoming a new term in my vocabulary, and it meant far more than just incontinence! How was it that at age 42, I was just learning about prolapse issues?
When talking to moms in the playground and schoolyard where my kids attended, I could not believe the number of women who were confessing on the activities they could no longer do because they leaked or peed. Shocked by the young ages of the women to whom I was talking, it became my mission to spread the word about pelvic floor health and let women know that it was not a normal part of aging or motherhood and that you could prevent or recover from incontinence.
Most doctors do not check for prolapse or pelvic floor tone or lack thereof. In fact it seems many doctors don’t even mention signs of it unless you ask, and then the message seems to be “surgery, normal part of aging or unless it bothers you…or if it is hard to live with….”
I decided (even though I did not think I was showing signs of PF weakness) that I should also go and see a pelvic floor physiotherapist. At least that way if a client asked, I could help explain what to expect from a visit (and I wanted to practice what I preached!).
This is where my story takes a very personal turn and I began to get a real understanding of the emotional toll pelvic floor dysfunction can exact. It was at my PF physiotherapy visit that I was told that I had stage 2 cystocele (prolapse of the bladder). Interestingly enough, the symptoms of prolapse can vary greatly from one woman to the next. I did not suffer from pelvic pain, or if I had, it was maybe once or twice and I had assumed it was from working out abit too hard the day before. One woman could have a stage 2 and not really know it while another could be in a great deal of pain.
It was within the first week or so of finding out about my prolapse that a friend had mentioned the Hypopressive Method that she had seen online. I watched and examined those Spanish youtube videos trying desperately to emulate what I saw, despite not knowing a word of Spanish…
I finally began to connect with the breath and figured out a couple of the poses to the best of my ability at the time – I was hooked! I could not believe the immediate difference it had on my pelvic floor. After a week or two of my Hypopressive Method self-experiment, I returned to the physio who was shocked to see that my stage 2 had been reduced to a stage 1! It was after that visit that I became determined to find out exactly where and by whom I could learn this method so I could become certified and teach it to others but also to perfect it for myself.
Kaise Tuominen from Banyoles, Spain was the only certified Master Trainer in the Hypopressive Method that could speak and teach in English. In 2012, I travelled to Spain after connecting with Kaisa who was willing to teach me– and I became the first Canadian certified in the Hypopressive Method!
The Hypopressive course was enlightening to say the least and gave me a new insight into the true meaning of ‘core reprogramming.’ How is it that after 20 years in the fitness industry I was learning such groundbreaking information!?
After the intensive phase, I went to visit my PF physio to assess my progress. The PF physio was blown away! My prolapse had disappeared!! There were no signs of it–in fact my PF resting tone had also normalized and improved! I had fallen in love with this new form of core training so much so that for me it is now a daily routine/ritual. I traveled to the UK where they were offering the advanced training certification and have since been back to Spain numerous times to obtain master level status and qualify as a course instructor. I am now the highest qualified and experienced Hypopressive trainer in Canada.
The Hypopressive Method happened to be a major turning point in my life and has proven to be the most effective rehabilitation tool for me, as well as many I have worked with. It is important to do the research, see a pelvic floor physiotherapist and find the method that works best for you. You may need to experiment with treatments and methods to find one that works for you, but based on my personal experience, it is truly worth the effort.
If you’re interested in Hypopressive training, I’ll be teaching a Hypopressives Level 1 course Oct 2nd and 3rd. You can register here!