Everyday Activities Supported by Pelvic Floor Muscles

In Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy by Emily Tran1 Comment

The Unsung Heroes: Everyday Activities Supported by Pelvic Floor Muscles

By PHRC Admin

 

While often overlooked, the pelvic floor muscles are unsung heroes that play a vital role in supporting everyday activities. These muscles, located at the base of the pelvis, provide structural support to our internal organs and facilitate essential functions. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of the pelvic floor muscles and shed light on the wide range of everyday activities they assist with.

 

Bladder and Bowel Control:

One of the primary functions of the pelvic floor muscles is to assist in bladder and bowel control. These muscles help regulate the release of urine and feces by closing off the urethra and rectum. A strong and coordinated pelvic floor allows us to maintain continence, preventing embarrassing and inconvenient leakage.

 

Core Stability and Posture:

The pelvic floor muscles are integral components of the core muscle group, working in harmony with the abdominal and back muscles to provide stability and support for the spine and pelvis. Optimal core stability contributes to good posture, proper alignment of the spine, and reduces the risk of back pain and injuries.

 

Pregnancy and Childbirth:

During pregnancy, the pelvic floor muscles support the growing uterus, providing stability and preventing discomfort. These muscles also play a crucial role in preparing for childbirth, aiding in the pushing stage and facilitating the passage of the baby through the birth canal. After childbirth, exercising and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can help with postpartum recovery and restore their tone and function.

 

Breathing and Diaphragmatic Support:

The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle located just above the pelvic floor, works in sync with these muscles to optimize breathing. The pelvic floor muscles act as a foundation for the diaphragm, ensuring its proper function during inhalation and exhalation. This coordination aids in effective breath control and deep diaphragmatic breathing, which promotes relaxation and overall well-being.

 

Sexual Function and Pleasure:

Beyond their functional roles, the pelvic floor muscles are also involved in sexual function and pleasure. In both men and women, these muscles contribute to sexual arousal and play a vital role in achieving and maintaining erections (in men) and lubrication (in women). Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can enhance sexual satisfaction for individuals of all genders.

 

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Health:

Maintaining the health and strength of the pelvic floor muscles is essential. Here are a few exercises that can help achieve optimal pelvic floor function:

 

  1. Kegel Exercises: These exercises involve contracting and releasing the pelvic floor muscles. We recommend checking in with your pelvic floor physical therapist before beginning any regimen of kegels.
  2. Squats: Squats engage the entire lower body, including the pelvic floor muscles. When performing squats, focus on engaging and activating the pelvic floor muscles as you lower into the squat position and return to a standing position.
  3. Bridge Pose: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the ground, engaging the glutes and pelvic floor muscles. Hold for a few seconds before lowering back down. Repeat several times.
  4. Yoga and Pilates: Certain yoga and Pilates poses, such as the Child’s Pose, Cat-Cow, and the Hundred, can assist in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles while improving overall core stability.

The pelvic floor muscles are incredible multitaskers, contributing to numerous everyday activities that we often take for granted. From aiding in bladder and bowel control to supporting core stability, pregnancy, childbirth, breathing, and sexual function, these muscles play a crucial role in our overall well-being. By understanding their importance and incorporating exercises to strengthen them, we can ensure optimal pelvic floor health and enhance our quality of life.

 

Sources:

  • Mayo Clinic: Kegel exercises: A how-to guide for women
  • Harvard Health Publishing: Understanding and improving your pelvic floor muscles
  • Pelvic Floor First: Exercises
  • Healthline: 5 Pilates Exercises to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

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FAQ

What are pelvic floor muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that run from the coccyx to the pubic bone. They are part of the core, helping to support our entire body as well as providing support for the bowel, bladder and uterus. These muscles help us maintain bowel and bladder control and are involved in sexual pleasure and orgasm. The technical name of the pelvic floor muscles is the Levator Ani muscle group. The pudendal nerve, the levator ani nerve, and branches from the S2 – S4 nerve roots innervate the pelvic floor muscles. They are under voluntary and autonomic control, which is a unique feature only they possess compared to other muscle groups.

What is pelvic floor physical therapy?

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy. Currently, physical therapists need advanced post-graduate education to be able to help people with pelvic floor dysfunction because pelvic floor disorders are not yet being taught in standard physical therapy curricula. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center provides extensive training for our staff because we recognize the limitations of physical therapy education in this unique area.

What happens at pelvic floor therapy?

During an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction the physical therapist will take a detailed history. Following the history the physical therapist will leave the room to allow the patient to change and drape themselves. The physical therapist will return to the room and using gloved hands will perform an external and internal manual assessment of the pelvic floor and girdle muscles. The physical therapist will once again leave the room and allow the patient to dress. Following the manual examination there may also be an examination of strength, motor control, and overall biomechanics and neuromuscular control. The physical therapist will then communicate the findings to the patient and together with their patient they establish an assessment, short term and long term goals and a treatment plan. Typically people with pelvic floor dysfunction are seen one time per week for one hour for varying amounts of time based on the severity and chronicity of the disease. A home exercise program will be established and the physical therapist will help coordinate other providers on the treatment team. Typically patients are seen for 3 months to a year.

What is pudendal neuralgia and how is it treated?

Pudendal Neuralgia is a clinical diagnosis that means pain in the sensory distribution of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a mixed nerve that exits the S2 – S4 sacral nerve roots, we have a right and left pudendal nerve and each side has three main trunks: the dorsal branch, the perineal branch, and the inferior rectal branch. The branches supply sensation to the clitoris/penis, labia/scrotum, perineum, anus, the distal ⅓ of the urethra and rectum, and the vulva and vestibule. The nerve branches also control the pelvic floor muscles. The pudendal nerve follows a tortuous path through the pelvic floor and girdle, leaving it vulnerable to compression and tension injuries at various points along its path.

Pudendal Neuralgia occurs when the nerve is unable to slide, glide and move normally and as a result, people experience pain in some or all of the above-mentioned areas. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in identifying the mechanical impairments that are affecting the nerve. The physical therapy treatment plan is designed to restore normal neural function. Patients with pudendal neuralgia require pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from medical management that includes pharmaceuticals and procedures such as pudendal nerve blocks or botox injections.

What is interstitial cystitis and how is it treated?

Interstitial Cystitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irritative bladder symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and hesitancy in the absence of infection. Research has shown the majority of patients who meet the clinical definition have pelvic floor dysfunction and myalgia. Therefore, the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. Patients will benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from pharmacologic management or medical procedures such as bladder instillations.

Who is the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Team?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Elizabeth Akincilar and Stephanie Prendergast in 2006, they have been treating people with pelvic floor disorders since 2001. They were trained and mentored by a medical doctor and quickly became experts in treating pelvic floor disorders. They began creating courses and sharing their knowledge around the world. They expanded to 11 locations in the United States and developed a residency style training program for their employees with ongoing weekly mentoring. The physical therapists who work at PHRC have undergone more training than the majority of pelvic floor physical therapists and as a result offer efficient and high quality care.

How many years of experience do we have?

Stephanie and Liz have 24 years of experience and help each and every team member become an expert in the field through their training and mentoring program.

Why PHRC versus anyone else?

PHRC is unique because of the specific focus on pelvic floor disorders and the leadership at our company. We are constantly lecturing, teaching, and staying ahead of the curve with our connections to medical experts and emerging experts. As a result, we are able to efficiently and effectively help our patients restore their pelvic health.

Do we treat men for pelvic floor therapy?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is unique in that the Cofounders have always treated people of all genders and therefore have trained the team members and staff the same way. Many pelvic floor physical therapists focus solely on people with vulvas, this is not the case here.

Do I need pelvic floor therapy forever?

The majority of people with pelvic floor dysfunction will undergo pelvic floor physical therapy for a set amount of time based on their goals. Every 6 -8 weeks goals will be re-established based on the physical improvements and remaining physical impairments. Most patients will achieve their goals in 3 – 6 months. If there are complicating medical or untreated comorbidities some patients will be in therapy longer.

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