Pelvic Floor 101: What is it? What does it do? Why should you care?
Today we are talking about the pelvic floor, what it is, and why it matters.
What is the pelvic floor?
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels that form a supportive ‘hammock’ across the base of the pelvis. They sit from the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis, to the tailbone at the back, and across from sit bone to sit bone.
You have two layers of pelvic floor muscles, a superficial layer, including muscles around the openings of your urethra, vagina and anus, as well as a deeper layer of pelvic floor muscles.
What does the pelvic floor do?
The pelvic floor has multiple roles, they include:
1. Supporting your organs
Your pelvic floor muscles help to support your pelvic organs, including your bladder, uterus (if you have one), and your bowel. In situations where the muscles aren’t supporting your pelvic organs, this can lead to the pelvic organs shifting downward, this is known as pelvic organ prolapse.
2. Controlling continence
Your pelvic floor muscles include sphincters around your urethra and anus. These muscles help you to hold in urine, gas and stool matter, and relax when it is time to go to the toilet. When these muscles are weak or have dysfunction, it can result in incontinence or urgency of the bladder or bowel.
3. Sexual function
Your pelvic floor muscles (especially the superficial layer) are involved in pleasurable and pain free sexual activity. Dysfunction in these muscles can lead to pain during sex or orgasm difficulties.
4. Core stability
Your pelvic floor makes up part of your core, and it works together with your diaphragm, deep abdominal muscles and back muscles to stabilise the spine and pelvis, especially during movement and lifting.
How contract and relax your pelvic floor
Being able to relax your pelvic floor completely is just as important as being able to contract your pelvic floor, let’s talk about how to do both.
To contract your pelvic floor:
Imagine you are trying to stop the flow of urine or squeeze your anus
Gently draw in and up through your pelvic floor, keep your glutes relaxed and avoid holding your breath.
To relax your pelvic floor:
Inhale deeply into your belly and ribs
Imagine your sit bones widening and your pelvic floor melting like butter
Picture a flower blooming and opening, or your pelvic floor dropping down.
What can happen when the pelvic floor isn’t working correctly?
Similar to other muscle groups, the pelvic floor muscles can become weak, tight or uncoordinated, this can result in a rage of symptoms, including but not limited to:
Leaking of urine on coughing, laughing, sneezing or exercise
A bulging or heaviness sensation in the pelvis
Pain in the lower back, pelvis or hips
Painful sexual activity
Constipation or difficulty fully emptying bowels
Frequent or urgent trips to the bathroom to empty your bladder or bowel.
Your pelvic floor is always working quietly behind the scenes, but it’s impact on your daily life is huge. If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, or don’t think your pelvic floor muscles are functioning correctly, having a check up with the pelvic floor physiotherapist may provide some insight into what is happening with your pelvic floor.
Written by Taylor Nixon, Pelvic Floor and Continence Physiotherapist.
