Your Pelvic Floor - A Symptom Or Cause of Dysfunction?

Introduction

The field of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy has been gaining ground for some years in the Physical Therapy space. This is fantastic news because many people suffer with Pelvic Floor related issues, and don’t receive the help they deserve. Thankfully, times are changing, and the world of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is growing. 

What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is a specialized field under the umbrella of physical therapy that focuses on diagnosing and treating dysfunctions related to the pelvic floor. The next common question is, “Well, what is the pelvic floor?” I’m so glad you asked…

What is The Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a group of small muscles located along the bottom of the pelvis. If you were to imagine the pelvis as a bowl, the pelvic floor would encompass the bottom of the bowl. What makes this group of muscles so interesting is that they have an almost “dual function”. These muscles are approximately 70% voluntary, and 30% involuntary (to oversimplify the physiology). This means that you have voluntary control of 70% of these muscles, which allows you to consciously contract and relax them to serve needs such as holding in pee, poop and farts and stabilizing your pelvis during movement. But what about the other 30%? Here’s where it gets interesting…

The Unconscious Part of Your Pelvic Floor

Yes, there is a part of your pelvic floor muscles that are “involuntary” or “unconscious”. It’s that 30% that’s controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System - the same program that controls digestion, blinking and your heart rate. So, the same things that can influence your digestion and heart rate can directly affect the state of your pelvic floor. What does this mean for you? It means that things like stress, trauma, pain and emotions can impact the way these muscles work! 

How Your Unconscious Affects Your Pelvic Floor

Since 30% of your pelvic floor muscles are “involuntary” or “unconscious”, things in your life impact these muscles. For example, if you are stressed out at work, it’s very likely that your pelvic floor muscles will involuntarily tighten in response to the stress. If you experienced abuse or trauma in your childhood and didn’t have a safe way to process it, it’s likely the emotions of that trauma created a tightness or “holding pattern” in your muscles in response to the emotions. You see, your pelvic floor muscles are very reactive, not only to movement of your pelvis and hips, but also to your emotional state. 

Why Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles Don’t Work

It’s easy to think that having tight muscles is good because tightness is often equated with strength. However, in the physical therapy world, this is not the case. In fact, a muscle that is tight at rest is functionally weak. So, if you’re dealing with stress and unprocessed emotions, it’s likely your pelvic floor muscles are holding tightly (it’s often a survival response!) And if they’re holding tightly at rest, they won’t be able to work appropriately when you need them to, like holding in your pee or pooping easily.  For a more in depth explanation of this, download The Truth About Kegels, a free ebook by clicking HERE! 

In Conclusion

Now that you know that the pelvic floor muscles can respond to stress in life, whether conscious or unconscious, you can see that pelvic floor dysfunction may not only come from the muscles, but from your emotional state. This is in no way to blame yourself, but to understand that everything is connected, and any dysfunction in the pelvic floor may not always be of an orthopedic nature. If you suspect you’re having pelvic floor dysfunction, or have been told so by a medical professional and are not getting better with standard treatments, consider seeking out a provider who specializes in Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, or Energetic Bodywork to help uncover any underlying emotional or physical restrictions that could be impacting your pelvic floor.