Yes, we all have a pelvic floor!
The Pelvic Floor is made up of 3 layers of muscles and connective tissues that spans North to South and East to West to form a sling around the base of the pelvis.
Its 3 main functions are to support the pelvic organs, to assist in bladder and bowel control, and to support sexual and reproductive function.
The pelvic floor works together with our diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and multifidi to provide key postural stabilization that we rely on every day.
A healthy pelvic floor goes far beyond doing kegels (properly) each day!
The pelvic floor must be mobile, moving freely with each breath and without restrictions.
The pelvic floor must be stable, providing support to our internal organs and to support our spine at all times.
The pelvic floor must be able to provide extra support when we need it (when we can’t find a bathroom?!?) AND be able to fire at just the right time (when we go for a run or move from sitting to standing.)
A Specialty-Trained Pelvic Health Physical Therapist can help figure out what’s contributing to your pain, limitations, or impairments.
By addressing pelvic floor mobility, stability, strength, and function, We can help improve those limitations, often resulting in significant improvements in Quality of Life!
What are some signs of pelvic floor dysfunction?
Pelvic floor dysfunction can show up in a number of ways and rarely exists in isolation. Signs and symptoms of PF dysfunction include, but are not limited to, the following:
Low back and Pelvic Pain: This may include sitting pain, tailbone pain, pubic symphysis pain, hip, low back, groin, vulvar and testicular pain and abdominal pain.
Bladder or bowel dysfunction, including stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, frequency/urgency, fecal incontinence, constipation, incomplete emptying, pain with voiding
Sexual dysfunction: pain with sex, pain in the vulva, pain with arousal or orgasm, erectile dysfunction, to name a few
Stay Tuned for How Pelvic Floor PT can Help and What to Expect for your Pelvic Floor PT Evaluation!
