Where is it?
Your pelvic floor is a sheet of muscle that is as large as two hands together cupped.
It stretches from your front or pubic bone under your pubic area to your back or coccyx bone.
It stretches from the left to the right sitting bone.
Your pelvic floor surrounds the outlet of your;
Bladder (urethra)
Uterus (vagina)
Bowel (anus)
What does it do?
It helps you control your bladder and bowel and influences your sexual feeling.
The pelvic floor acts as a sling or hammock, providing support underneath your pelvic organs.
When you contract your pelvic floor muscles you squeeze and lift this area inside yourself.
This flattens and raises the pelvic floor region which elevates and supports the pelvic organs.
This contraction also compresses your urethra and anus.
Your pelvic floor lifts and closes your bladder when you walk, talk, cough sneeze or laugh.
It also opens and drops when you urinate.
To enable you to urinate or pass a bowel motion the pelvic floor muscles must be able to fully relax.
How is it damaged?
The pelvic floor may be damaged by childbirth, constipation or straining, heavy lifting, surgery, bed rest, hormonal changes or ageing.
This may be associated with a reduced ability to contract the pelvic floor and this weakness may result in the problems below.
What happens then?
When the pelvic floor is weak you may experience urinary leakage, an urgent desire to urinate, an inability to control wind/faeces, constipation or slowly develop a pelvic organ prolapse.
Your goal is to retrain your muscles to do what they are meant to do, to lift and to release at the right time.
