What is Causing Your Pelvic Floor Issues?
Whether you have never had a baby, are pregnant, recently had a baby, or your babies are all grown up… there are common themes I see when treating pelvic floor dysfunction. Let’s dive into some of these common and treatable themes!
Muscle Imbalances
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the base of the pelvis. It plays a lot of important rolls, but it does not work by itself. The foot, ankle, hip, pelvic floor, abdominal and back muscles, diaphragm, shoulders and jaw all work together. If any of these areas or the muscles that support these areas are too tight, weak or overused relative to other muscles it can create dysfunction. That is why I do a full body assessment!
Postural Rigidity / Imbalances
One of my favorite things to say is posture is a tool, not a rule! Though we address posture in our sessions, more important than holding a rigid posture is being able to move in and out of positions. We are not meant to be robots, and the more robotic and stiff we are the more stress we put on the pelvic floor and the overall system. I see this often when posture is trying to be corrected, we focus so much on holding a specific position that other movement components get stuck. When we becomes less mobile in one area it drives excessive motion or strain in other areas. So, though it is important to understand “good posture,” it should not be a prison sentence for our bodies.
Lack of Awareness
The pelvic floor has gained a lot of attention which has been wonderful… but also frustrating. The pelvic floor is now overly instructed in fitness classes and on social media. Oftentimes we don’t even know what it feels like to activate the pelvic floor or what it even looks like! When I check in with clients on their connection to their pelvic floor, I often see over gripping of the abdominal wall and increased strain down on the pelvic floor. I love helping make the connection on how the pelvic floor moves and works with the rest of the body.
The other area we lack awareness in, is just how much the pelvic floor can influence our symptoms!
Feeling like we have to pee all the time? Hip pain? Back Pain? Pelvic Pain?
These can all be related to the pelvic floor! Check out this pelvic health screen to see if connecting with a pelvic health therapist is right for you!
Pressure Challenges
Think of your torso like a canister. The top of the canister is your diaphragm, the bottom of the canister is your pelvic floor, the sides of the canister are your abdominal wall and back muscles. These muscle groups work together to maintain pressure within the abdomen, providing stability to your spine and pelvis. If there is too much pressure - think muscles imbalances, postural imbalances, breath holding, pushing too hard to move your bowels, peeing every hour, inability to stabilize the core properly- then the canister will not properly support you, creating pelvic floor symptoms!
Other factors that influence your pelvic health!
Sleep
Nutrition
Stress
Hormones
If you’re interested in a holistic approach to treatment, I offer 1 on 1 treatment in Columbus, Ohio
Schedule your free 15min phone consultation!
In health,
Emma Lengerich PT, DPT, OCS, CMTPT, PCES, Doula Foundations PelvicPhysio, LLC Orthopedic & Pelvic Health Physical Therapist & Birth Doula Instagram: @emma_pelvichealth Subscribe to my newsletter: Click Here!
