1. Abdominal stabilisation: Sitting with your feet resting on the floor, gently pull in your lower abdominal muscles, as if you are hugging your baby.  Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.  Continue to breathe normally throughout.
2. Pelvic floor: Sitting tall, squeeze to close around your openings.  Lift and hold for 5 seconds.  Repeat 5 times.  Breathe normally throughout.
3. Gluteal muscles: Sitting or standing, squeeze the buttocks together.  Hold for 5 seconds.  Repeat 5 times.
4. Latissimus Dorsi muscle: Sit on a chair in front of a table or closed door.  Grasp the door handle or table with both hands and pull toward you.  Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times.
5. Hip adductor muscles: Sitting down, put your fist or a rolled towel between your knees.  Squeeze your knees together.  Use no more than 40% of your maximal force.  Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 5 times.

Self-Help Management

It is essential that you tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor and lower abdomen before and during the following activities:

Getting into & out of bed

• Sit on the edge of the bed, keep knees close together, then lie down on your side, lifting both of your legs up sideways.
• Reverse this to get out of bed.
• Do not attempt to pull yourself up from lying on your back.

Rolling over in bed

• Keep knees together.
• Do not roll with knees apart.

Getting up from a chair

• Keep knees close together, put your hands on your knees and lean nose over your toes to stand up.

Sitting down

• Do the reverse to sit down.
• Ensure that you feel the chair at the back of your legs first.

• Sit down first then swing legs in, keeping knees together.

Walking

• Take smaller steps.

• Step up sideways one step at a time, if using stairs in the normal way is painful.

• Avoid pushing through any pain. If something hurts, if possible don't do it.
• Rest regularly by sitting reasonably upright with your back well supported.
• Avoid heavy lifting or pushing.
• When dressing, avoid trying to put your legs into trousers, skirts or knickers whilst standing up. Sit down and then pull the clothing over your feet and then stand up to pull them up.
• Avoid separating your legs and making straddling movements — such as when getting in and out of the car or bath. If you need to separate your legs, do so slowly and carefully.
• Avoid swimming breaststroke if you can and take care with other strokes. Swimming can often give the impression that it is helping whilst you are in the water, but can actually cause an increase in pain when you get out.