The pelvic floor or pelvic diaphragm is the group of muscles and connective tissues that fill the bottom opening of the pelvis, spanning from the pubic bone to the sits bones to the tailbone. This structure separates the abdominal cavity from the perineum and provides outlets for the urethra, vagina in females, and rectum. Our pelvic floor muscles make up the inferior portion of the “core” and work closely with the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. Despite the space being relatively small, the pelvic floor is made up of many muscles and ligaments due to its many functions!
The pelvic floor muscles resemble a hammock and are probably best known for providing support to the pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. This supportive function requires the pelvic floor muscles to hold enough resting tone to maintain constant support of these organs in gravity dependent positions like standing but also requires the muscles to produce enough force to support these organs during higher impact activity like walking, running, jumping.
Along with a supportive function, the pelvic floor is also essential in providing sphincteric function which allows us to hold our bladder and bowels until the time and place is appropriate to void. This requires both strength and coordination to hold the urethra/rectum closed until we get to the toilet where they must be able to relax and lengthen enough to allow us to void fully.
The pelvic floor muscles have an important role in sexual function as well as providing a pump-like activity to circulate fluid through the body. The muscles must be able to lengthen as well as contract in a coordinated manner to allow for these systems to work in an effective and pain free manner.
Finally as the bottom portion of the abdominal cavity or the “core”, the pelvic floor is essential in providing stability to the pelvis and abdomen as we transfer loads through the body and move. The pelvic floor muscles must expand and contract to accommodate the pressure changes in the abdomen during breathing, movement, and/or increased effort to complete a more difficult task. When the pelvic floor is working ineffectively, we can have issues with breathing, controlling our intra-abdominal pressures, and controlling our body while moving and holding postures.
Clearly the pelvic floor musculature are an extremely important and under-appreciated part of the body. Due to their location near our “private parts”, these muscles and their functions often get overlooked and therefore, dysfunctions of this region often go untreated. Life Changes Physical Therapy’s goal is to provide a safe and comfortable space in the privacy of your own home to ask questions and find answers when it comes to pelvic floor function. If you are in need of pelvic floor therapy, call Life Changes Physical Therapy to schedule your evaluation today! And don’t forget to check out the blog next week where we will dive into the most common dysfunctions of the pelvic floor.