Where and what is your Pelvic Floor?





08.08.24



By Free Motion Physiotherapy



Ever heard of the pelvic floor? Many people live their life with-out ever being aware of their pelvic floor and its functions. Did you know that physiotherapy can help with pelvic floor dysfunction?


Although Physiotherapists treating these conditions are referred to as Women’s Health Specialists, many times the muscles involved affect men as well. Everyone has a pelvic floor, whether you are male or female.


It is true, that women are commonly affected after pregnancy or specifically after multiple pregnancies, but statistics show increasing numbers of dysfunctions in men above 50.



You have all heard of your core. One of the vital components of this is the pelvic floor which forms part of a closed cannister within the body (aka your Core). This consists of the diaphragm on top, deep abdominal muscles in front, deep back muscles at the back and ultimately the pelvic floor muscles on the bottom. The pelvic floor itself consists of a variety of muscles which have specific functions relating to its location and the anatomy around it.


The purpose of this blog specifically is to discuss and simplify the functions of the pelvic floor within the female anatomy.


Finding the pelvic floor:


The pelvic floor muscles form a bowl at the base of your core. Imagine a hammock connecting your pubic bone (the hard bone in the front of your pelvis) to your coccyx (tailbone) at the back.


Imagine it as a two-person hammock which is wide in the middle, connecting on each side as well as front and back. There are multiple pelvic floor muscles, tendons and ligaments in the pelvic bowl. These “wrap” around all our openings forming connections between the organs within the pelvic bowl. There are fascial connections between the organs themselves, between the organs and the pelvic floor muscles and forms the attachments of these muscles to our pelvic bones.



Now that you have an idea of where to look and feel for your pelvic floor, perform a fake loud cough and focus on the feeling you get in your pelvic floor. See if you can feel how it tightens (contracts and lifts) as your stomach braces during the cough?



Functions of the pelvic floor muscles:



1. Support for your pelvic organs:

As previously mentioned, the Pelvic floor muscles form a bowl holding the organs (Bladder, uterus and rectum). If the muscle and fascia were removed or weakened, the organs would not be supported or held in place.


The pelvic floor muscles provide support during activities (jump, sneeze, cough, run, straining etc) by keeping the organs in place and preventing them from falling or protruding through the holes/openings. This occurrence is called a Prolapse and can happen if your pelvic floor muscles are too weak or if there is too much pressure from somewhere on to the organ.



2. Maintaining Continence:

Continence is the ability to control bladder and bowel movements thus preventing leaking or accidents. The pelvic floor muscles are part of the reason we don’t leak all the time. We have sphincters at the openings of the urethra and anus which work in coordination with the pelvic floor muscles to maintain continence.


Continence is a passive process and should occur spontaneously, but in times of urgency some conscious active contraction is needed and normal. The coordination between contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor helps prevent us from leaking when we cough, sneeze or jump, with or without a full bladder.



3. Sexual function:

Pelvic floor muscles need to be able to fully contract and relax, like any other muscle in the body. Imagine having a tight bicep muscle that keeps your arm stuck in a bent position affecting all related joints and movements. The same happens to the pelvic floor muscles.


The ability of the pelvic floor to contract and relax has a big influence on the quality of intercourse you are having. During intercourse the pelvic floor muscles need to relax and accommodate allowing penetration. Contraction of the pelvic floor muscles also contribute towards orgasms and is important for enjoyable and pain free intercourse.


4. Control and general movement of the hips and pelvis:

The pelvic floor muscles form a base from where movement and weight transfer can occur. Many painful symptoms such as lower back pain, coccyx pain, hip and groin pain involve the pelvic floor. When there is tightness, weakness or dysfunction these symptoms might occur- this is the case with all skeletal muscles in the body.


Your pelvic floor muscles are involved and need to activate in almost all movements, especially lower body weight shifting. The pelvic floor also allows proper range of motion together with all other hip and groin muscles. Therefore, movement of your body in any way, shape or form relies on your pelvic floor.



The pelvic floor can be difficult to understand or imagine and therefore we hope you found it helpful having a better idea of where it is, what it entails and how it works. We would be able to answer any questions or help you identify what might be contributing to any symptoms or discomfort.


Stay tuned to find out how the pelvic floor connects with breathing.



Feel FREE to like our social pages