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Everything you want to know about Pelvic Floor Health

WHAT IS THE PELVIC FLOOR?

The pelvic floor is made up of lots of muscle fibres and tissues located at the base of the pelvis. The pelvic floor is not hard or flat like a floor but instead a diamond shape with lots of holes in it. It connects your pubic bone in the front to the tailbone at the back and then both sit bones either side.

Despite being hidden away they play a key role in the body…


The pelvic floor muscle function is to support the organs above. It controls the bladder and bowl, plays a key role in sexual function, and supports the birthing organs for women.


Pelvic health is vital to our wellbeing. If it is too weak, too tight, or hypertonic (overactive) it can lead to Pelvic floor dysfunction.


SYMPTOMS OF A WEAK PELVIC FLOOR

  • urinary leakage 
  • a frequent urge to pee
  • more frequent urinary tract infections
  • vaginal dryness
  • Vaginal flatulence (Queefing)
  • loss of control over bowel movements

WHAT IS A TIGHT OR OVERACTIVE (HYPERTONIC) PELVIC FLOOR?

When the pelvic floor muscles are constantly in a state or contraction or spasm so they can’t relax. Even though the pelvic floor is tight it is also weak at the same time. How? Because it is always contracting and never relaxing it gets tired and becomes too fatigued to perform its role efficiently.

SYMPTOMS OF A TIGHT OR HYPERTONIC PELVIC FLOOR

  • pain or discomfort during sex
  • trouble emptying completely when urinating or even pain
  • frequent urination or a sense or urgency 
  • difficulty starting or maintaining a urinary stream
  • bladder pain
  • constipation
  • pain passing gas
  • pain during or after a bowl motion or difficulty starting one


Causes of a hypertonic pelvic floor:

  • constantly holding your breath or shallow breathing
  • holding “it’ and not going to the bathroom
  • always holding your abdominal muscles in or bracing your core. Yes, even our core needs rest!
  • injury or trauma to the pelvic floor muscles
  • poor posture or prolonged sitting
  • stress, depression, and anxiety

HOW WE BREATHE MATTERS

A diaphragmatic breath is rhythmic and allows the pelvic floor to relax and contract naturally. On the other hand, quick, shallow breathing prevents your pelvic floor from fully relaxing. This can cause increased tightness and weakness in our pelvic floor leading to lots of pelvic floor dysfunction and not being able to correctly use our core muscles. In short, when your breathing gets out of whack so does your pelvic floor and the ability to optimally use your core.

THE DIAPHRAGM AND PELVIC FLOOR AS CORE MUSCLES

The role of the diaphragm is for breathing. However, one of their most important features is the way the diaphragm and pelvic floor function together and how they influence the rest of the body. They are also an essential part of our inner core unit. They work together with other abdominal muscles and back muscles, offering core stability, support to the spine, and control over posture.

UNDERSTANDING THE PELVIC FLOOR DIAPHRAGM

Our pelvic floor works in harmony with our diaphragm, rising and falling together. When your diaphragm moves, your pelvic floor moves. 

To put it simply, when you inhale, your diaphragm moves down. This pushes your organs down causing your pelvic floor to stretch and your abdominal muscles to relax. 

When you exhale, your diaphragm rises again, allowing your pelvic floor to also move upward, contracting your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.

Think about it like bouncing on a trampoline. When we inhale it’s like the downward pressure onto the mat allowing the stretch under our weight, then the exhale is like rebounding back up again as the pressure releases.

HOW TO CONNECT TO YOUR PELVIC FLOOR:

LEARNING HOW TO BOTH ENGAGE AND LENGTHEN YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

IT ALL BEGINS WITH A DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATH

Start by sitting on the edge of a chair, on a Pilates ball, or sit straddling a foam roller or Yoga blocks, this will help to give you some tactile feedback.



LENGTHENING AND RELEASING PHASE

Place your hands on the sides of your ribcage right at your bra line. Take a full breath in through your nose and let your belly expand, then exhale slowly through your mouth like you’re blowing out birthday candles. As you breath in feel your ribs expand out to the sides and into your hands, then as you exhale feel everything narrow and your ribs move closer together again.

When we breath in our pelvic floor is releasing and dropping down so you may start to feel a sensation of opening across your pelvis, like your sit bones are widening, and feel your pelvic floor becoming a little heavier onto your prop. This is our lengthening and releasing phase and equally as important as our strengthening phase.


ENGAGING AND STRENGTHENING PHASE

When we want to work on engaging the pelvic floor we then focus on our exhalation as our pelvic floor naturally contracts on the out breath. 

Still sitting on your prop, Inhale then as you exhale through your month imagine drawing a blueberry up into the opening of your vagina. You may feel the gentle lift of your pelvic floor off the prop you’re sitting on. When you breath in again then slowly lower the blueberry back into the surface you’re sitting on. Pelvic floor work is subtle not aggressive. When we are too aggressive, we end up using other muscles such as our inner thighs, glutes and abdominal muscles to do the work and often end up bearing down on our pelvic floor rather than drawing it up. This has the opposite effect and will stretch not strengthened our pelvic floor.

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