How to Tell if the Pelvic Floor Is Tight or Weak (and What You Can Do About It)
Pelvic Health
Did you know that nearly one in three women will experience a pelvic floor disorder in their lifetime? Identifying whether your pelvic floor is tight or weak is essential for addressing symptoms like urinary urgency or pelvic discomfort.
You might wonder what pelvic floor signs to look for and how to tell the difference between tightness and weakness.
Luckily, there are specific symptoms and practical exercises that can help you improve your pelvic floor health. Stay tuned as we explore the signs and effective solutions for both conditions, ensuring you can take proactive steps towards better well-being.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor, comprising a complex network of muscles, plays an essential role in supporting your bowel, bladder, and sexual function. These pelvic floor muscles are fundamental to maintaining continence, facilitating bowel movements, and ensuring sexual satisfaction.
When these pelvic floor muscles are functioning at their best, you likely won’t notice them. However, pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest through a variety of symptoms, greatly impacting your quality of life.
A hypertonic pelvic floor, where the muscles are excessively tight, can lead to symptoms like urinary urgency, frequent urination, chronic constipation, and pain during intercourse. Conversely, if the pelvic floor muscles are weak, you might experience urinary or bowel leakage, a sensation of heaviness in the pelvic area, or decreased sexual sensation.
Recognising these pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms early on is important.
An internal self-assessment is one practical approach to gauging your pelvic floor’s condition. This can involve feeling the pelvic floor muscles contract and relax during kegel exercises.
Additionally, consulting a physiotherapist specialising in pelvic floor health can provide a more thorough evaluation and personalised treatment plan, whether your pelvic floor muscles need strengthening or relaxation.
Identifying a Tight Pelvic Floor
Experiencing chronic constipation, pain during intercourse, or difficulty with urine flow can be strong indicators of a tight pelvic floor:
Pelvic Floor / Low Back Pain
When the pelvic floor muscles in female anatomy tighten excessively, it can lead to a range of symptoms, such as painful urination and persistent pelvic or back pain. These symptoms arise because tight pelvic floor muscles lack the necessary flexibility, often causing discomfort and dysfunction.
Painful Intercourse / Difficult Bowel Movements
To determine if your pelvic floor muscles are tight, pay attention to chronic issues like pain during intercourse and difficulty with bowel movements. These can be telltale signs of muscle overactivity. Conducting an internal self-assessment can help—gently palpate the pelvic area to feel for excessive tension or discomfort.
Urgent Need to Urinate
You might also notice a sensation of urgency or frequent urination, which can further indicate tightness. It’s important to differentiate between a weak pelvic floor and a tight one, as the interventions differ. While a weak pelvic floor may need strengthening, tight muscles often require relaxation techniques.
Seeking advice from a physiotherapist specialising in pelvic floor health is crucial. They can provide tailored exercises, such as specific stretches and relaxation techniques, to alleviate muscle tension and improve overall function.
Recognising a Weak Pelvic Floor
Recognising a weak pelvic floor entails noting symptoms such as bladder or bowel leakage, pelvic heaviness, and decreased sensation during sexual activity. These symptoms can have a notable impact on your quality of life and may indicate underlying pelvic floor issues:
Incontinence
Bladder or bowel leakage, often termed incontinence, is a common sign. You might notice urine leaks when you sneeze, laugh, or engage in physical activities. Difficulty controlling gas and bowel movements is another red flag.
Pelvic Floor Heaviness / Pressure
Pelvic heaviness or pressure, sometimes described as a dragging sensation in the lower abdomen, indicates that your pelvic organs may lack adequate support. This can lead to pelvic organ prolapse, where organs such as the bladder or uterus descend into the vaginal canal.
Painful Intercourse
Additionally, a weak pelvic floor can result in pain or discomfort during sexual activity due to decreased muscle tone and support.
Motherhood / Lifestyle Factors
Several factors contribute to a weak pelvic floor, including pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, ageing, chronic constipation, and heavy lifting.
To address these pelvic floor symptoms effectively, we recommend you consult a pelvic health physiotherapist. They can diagnose the issue and provide a personalised exercise regimen to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, thereby improving your overall pelvic health.
Practical Exercises for Pelvic Floor Strength
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles involves incorporating specific exercises like Kegels, squats, and pelvic tilts into your daily routine:
Kegel exercises are fundamental; they focus on contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. To perform a Kegel, contract the muscles you’d use to stop urination, hold for a count of five, and then relax. Repeat this process 10–15 times, three times a day.
Below is a thorough (and fantastic) video tutorial on how to perform Kegel exercises from Michelle Kenway an experienced and well-regarded Physio in the Pelvic Health domain:
Squats are another excellent exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your body as if sitting back in a chair, ensuring your knees don’t extend past your toes, and then return to standing. This movement engages the pelvic floor, promoting strength and stability.
Here is another great video from Michelle Kenway on the right (and safe) form for doing squats so you get the best result (with no injuries or pain):
Incorporating pelvic tilts can also be beneficial. Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and tilt your pelvis upward, flattening your lower back against the floor. Hold for a few seconds, then release.
Here is another useful and easy to understand video from Michelle Kenway (she demonstrates two exercises – the Pelvic Tilt is the first exercise in the video):
Additionally, consider deep belly breathing. It helps relax and release tension in the pelvic floor.
Here is a video tutorial from Michelle Kenway on the correct form and execution of deep breathing:
When To Seek Professional Pelvic Floor Help
Consulting a pelvic health physiotherapist can provide you with a precise diagnosis and a customised treatment plan to address pelvic floor dysfunction effectively. A physiotherapist specialising in pelvic health can assess your symptoms, whether they’re indicative of tightness or weakness in the pelvic floor muscles. This essential pelvic floor evaluation is vital for identifying the specific muscles that need attention.
Physiotherapists employ various diagnostic techniques, such as manual palpation and biofeedback, to determine the state of your pelvic floor. Once assessed, they can devise a personalised regimen of exercises designed to either strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles or relax tight ones. Kegels for strengthening or reverse kegels, as well as breathing techniques for relaxation, may be included in these exercises.
Additionally, pelvic floor physiotherapy often incorporates education about bladder and bowel habits, posture, and lifestyle modifications. This holistic approach helps improve bladder control, reduce pelvic pain, and enhance overall pelvic health.
In Closing...
Understanding whether your pelvic floor is tight or weak can greatly impact your health. Identifying symptoms such as pain or leakage, recognizing chronic constipation or urgency, and consulting a pelvic health physiotherapist are all important steps.
Implementing practical exercises like Kegels, squats, and pelvic tilts can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Deep belly breathing can aid in relaxation.
Remember, taking proactive steps and seeking professional help can transform your pelvic health and enhance your quality of life.
Please book appointment here or call us on (03) 4821 5023 if you have questions and want to learn about our pelvic floor physiotherpy services – book in for an assessment tailored to your care, needs and well-being.
Our North East Melbourne metro based physiotherapy clinic is open six days a week and you can book your appointment online for convenience.
Rosanna Physio
Rosanna Physio has been serving the people of Rosanna and its surrounding suburbs since 1989. We have the education, qualifications and experience to effectively treat any muscle or joint injury that requires expert physical therapy care.
