De hypopressieve methode, of hypopressive techniek, werd in 1980 geboren nadat Dr. Marcel Caufriez tijdens een vaginaal onderzoek had gezien hoe een baarmoederverzakking drastisch verminderde tijdens een diafragmatische aspiratie. Sindsdien ontwikkelde de methode zich in de loop der jaren in een reeks houdingen die werden uitgevoerd in apneu direct na uitademing waardoor het middenrif omhoog ging. Hierdoor trekt het de lage buikgewanden (vagina, blaas en rectum) omhoog en trekt het tegelijkertijd de bekkenbodemmusculatuur samen dankzij een reflexmechanisme.

Stress urinary incontinence: is it common?

Stress Urinary incontinence (SUI), as defined by the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA), is an “involuntary loss of urine on effort or physical exertion, or on sneezing or coughing”. SUI occurs when there is an increase of intra abdominal pressure caused by activity. Women suffering from SUI don’t feel pain during urination nor do they feel the urge to empty the bladder: the urine loss is completely involuntary.

The pelvic floor

The pelvic floor is a is a set of muscular (20%) and conjunctival (80%) structures closing the pelvis in its lower region. It acts as a sort of hammock at the bottom of the pelvic cavity, supporting the pelvic organs: the bladder, the last portion of the large intestine (rectum) and the uterus (or prostate in men). The pelvic floor is involved in basic functions of the human body such as urination, defecation, sex and childbirth, among others.

What is the hypopressive method?

The hypopressive method, or hypopressive technique, was born in 1980 after Dr. Marcel Caufriez saw during a vaginal exam how a uterine prolapse drastically reduced during a diaphragmatic aspiration. Since then, the method developed over the years in a series of postures performed in apnoea right after exhalation that causes the diaphragm to ascend. By doing so, it pulls up the low abdominal viscera (vagina, bladder and rectum) and at the same time contracts the pelvic floor musculature thanks to a reflex mechanism.