Wondering why everyone keeps going on about your pelvic floor muscles? Where even are they? What do they actually do? Why should you exercise them? The answers are all in here ..
In a nutshell your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach from your coccyx to your pubic bone (at the front of pelvis). They basically act like a sling to support your uterus, bladder and rectum.
Your pelvic floor muscles contribute to the stability your pelvis, and they have also been shown to help with the activation of your deep core muscles (also important before, during and after pregnancy). These are the muscles you use when you need to control your bladder or bowels.
During pregnancy your baby puts extra pressure onto the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding structures (like your bladder). A weak or dysfunctional pelvic floor is related to low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. It has also been shown that if pelvic floor exercises are performed (correctly) throughout pregnancy there is a decreased risk of urinary incontinence (win win right?).
Your pelvic floor muscles respond to exercise training in the same manner as your other body muscles, regular exercise will strengthen them (Part 2 of this blog will explain how to activate and train them). They can also be over exercised, so it is always important to make sure you can relax them after you exercise.
Correct pelvic floor exercises should be checked by a specialist women health physiotherapist. If you get any pain or unexpected symptoms from pelvic floor exercises you should seek advice from your GP or midwife.
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