The Pelvic Floor

Pelvic Floor & Pregnancy Series 

By Hannah Topp APA Physiotherapist – BSc Exercise Science (Sport Practice), Master of Physiotherapy, former elite international powerlifter

What is the pelvic floor? 

The pelvic floor is a layer of muscles covering the bottom of the pelvis that support the internal organs (bowel, bladder and uterus). The muscles run like a hammock from the pelvis to the tailbone and side to side. 

Pelvic floor muscles help with bladder and bowel control, passing urine and faeces, sexual function and support you through pregnancy and childbirth. 

What causes the pelvic floor muscles to become weak?

There are a few factors that contributes to making the pelvic floor muscles weak. These include pregnancy and childbirth, growing older and menopause, poor bowel habits which lead to chronic constipation and straining and people who have chronic conditions such as asthma. Weightlifters and cross fitters may experience some leaking when lifting weights or doing repetitive movement, this may be due to a weak pelvic floor however there are some other factors (breathing, strength and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles) 

Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to urinary and or faecal incontinence, decreased sexual sensation or a feeling of a ‘bulge’ into the vagina (pelvic organ prolapse). 

Can you rehabilitate pelvic floor muscles?

Yes! It’s not normal to leak while running, sneezing or coughing but it’s very common! The pelvic floor muscles can be trained just like any other muscle in your body. A strong pelvic floor can prevent prolapse and stress incontinence.  Pelvic floor exercise is recommended for the treatment of incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction and postnatally (Dumoulin et al. 2018). 

Stay tuned for our next post – pelvic floor in pregnancy.

If you have any concerns regarding your pelvic floor, book in to see our women’s health physiotherapist