‘Pelvic Floor 101’
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissue that sits inside the pelvis. Both men and women have a pelvic floor, although it’s not spoken about much among men.
What Does It Do?
1. The pelvic floor muscles constrict the urethra and anal canal.
Good bladder and bowel control depend on this function of the pelvic floor. If you find that you leak when jumping, running, laughing or sneezing, you could have an underactive pelvic floor.
2. Provides Support for the Internal Organs
In addition to constriction, the muscles and connective tissue of the pelvic floor quite literally help to keep your internal organs inside your body. Sub-optimal function of the muscles and fascia may result in symptoms of prolapse.
3. They are Affected by Pain and Emotion
The pelvic floor muscles respond to pain and emotion via the sympathetic nervous system.
Think about what you do when you are stressed. Do you clench your jaw? Furrow your brow? Tighten your abs? These reactions can happen subconsciously in the pelvic floor too.
4. They are affected by your breathing
The diaphragm and the pelvic floor work together and form a cylinder shape. When you breathe in, your ribs expand and diaphragm flattens, lowers and moves your organs down. Your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles then lengthen and expand to make room for your organs
If you want to test what it’s like to activate your pelvic floor, follow the simple instructions below:
· If you have female genitalia, imagine you’re dying for a wee but you’re still miles away from a toilet. Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor muscles to ‘close’ the passage until you can get to a toilet.
· If you have male genitalia, imagine you are trying to make your penis shorter, or think about what happens in your body when you are walking into the sea when it’s really cold.
For further information and ideas for exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor please contact us.