You might not think a lot about your pelvic floor muscles or even realize you have them. Yet these muscles affect you every day in important ways. Located between your tailbone and pubic bone, these muscles support pelvic organs like the bladder and bowel, female reproductive organs, and the prostate in men. When problems arise, the results can be frustrating, embarrassing, or downright painful.
Pelvic floor muscles can be affected by pregnancy, surgeries, trauma, or physical inactivity.
It's important to understand how pelvic floor muscles support your health and what you can do if there’s a concern. You might be surprised by the types of issues that can come up and how pelvic floor therapy can help. While pelvic floor therapy is not new, more people are hearing about it through social media. Here are the facts you need to know.
Physical therapist Veronica “Roni” Crass, PT, DPT, specializes in pelvic floor therapy. “When I first learned about pelvic health in 2015, it was actually called ‘women's health’ and rarely discussed the male pelvic floor,” says Crass. “It also focused primarily on the postpartum and pregnant population. Now we’ve learned that people who have never been pregnant and people with male genitalia can have pelvic floor issues as well.”
Problems can come up if your pelvic floor muscles are weak, tight, or injured.
Crass explains that pelvic floor muscles can be affected by pregnancy, pelvic surgeries, or traumatic events at any age. And like other muscles, age and inactivity can also cause issues. “Many people develop incontinence as they get older due to lack of muscle strength,” says Crass. “Strength training all the muscle groups of your body, including your pelvic floor, is so important at any age.”
A number of problems can come up if your pelvic muscles are weak, tight, or injured. This includes urinary incontinence (lack of bladder control), constipation, and sexual function. The body’s ability to stabilize itself can also be affected since the pelvic floor and our core muscles work together to keep the pelvic bone stable and supported, which helps with balance.
Pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, bowel, and female reproductive organs.
Many of Crass’s patients seek treatment for postpartum urinary incontinence, pain during sex, or for help during pregnancy to prepare for labor and delivery. Other common symptoms treated by pelvic floor therapy include urinary urgency/frequency, fecal incontinence, coccyx/tailbone pain, and pelvic organs prolapse. Pelvic organs prolapse is when one or more organs slip from their normal position and cause a bulge into the vagina.
Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy. Since physical therapy is commonly known to improve problems with the back, shoulder, or knees, Crass says people are surprised to learn about pelvic floor therapy. While some may have heard of Kegel exercises that squeeze and tighten pelvic floor muscles, pelvic floor therapy is broader and focuses on the patient’s specific concern. “When I teach pelvic floor exercises, I teach not only squeezing and tightening, but also relaxing and lengthening. I also teach the differences between building power, strength, and endurance,” explains Crass.
Pelvic floor therapy is tailored to meet specific needs.
How to get help
In some cases, certain exercises can make the problem worse. “It all depends on the situation,” says Crass. “In general, patients with incontinence issues may present with weaker pelvic floor muscles that require strengthening. However, issues such as urinary urgency/frequency and pelvic pain actually have pelvic floor muscle tightness and decreased mobility, and strengthening can actually make the condition worse.”
Be sure to talk to your primary care provider or ob-gyn if you have symptoms that may be caused by pelvic floor muscle issues. It’s important to be evaluated properly and get a care plan tailored to your needs.
Photos courtesy Veronica Crass
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