Pelvic Floor Muscle Health

Painful sex, prolapse, bladder leakage, pelvic pain, hip pain, lower back pain and more can be interrelated to the pelvic floor muscles (PFM). But what are these muscles and what purpose do they serve?

The female PFM act like a sling or basket through the pelvic cavity and stretch from the pubic bone to tailbone and side to side. They have four basic functions: ⁣
1) Organ Support: bladder, uterus, and rectum ⁣
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2) Sphincteric: (muscles squeeze around the three outlets to open and close at right time)⁣ These outlets are the bladder which connects to the urethra, the uterus and vaginal canal, and the rectum and anal canal⁣
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3) Sexual Function: tone, sensation, relaxation, coordination⁣
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4) Provide Stability: work with core muscles to provide stability to spine, pelvis, and pelvic organs⁣
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Women will experience changes in their body given different situations over their lifetime. PFM issues are not just a result of pregnancy - although during pregnancy and postpartum can often be a time that women start to experience changes. Sometimes these changes result in pain, discomfort, or leakage but please know you do not need to live with these symptoms. These issues can be addressed through pelvic floor therapy. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is just doing kegels! You should always reach out to a trained and licensed medical professional or specialized pelvic physical therapist for an expert assessment of your situation and subsequent training program. ⁣

(sources: @mypelvicfloormuscle, @trishatompsonadams)