Pelvic floor symptoms, and the pelvic floor in general, often seems really vague and confusing.
We can physically see core symptoms (like coning or bulging) because it’s an external occurrence, but since the pelvic floor and pelvic organs are internal, it can be tougher to wrap our heads around.
So I wanted to share this image to hopefully help put some more “substance” to it!
The pelvic floor is literally a muscle (both guys & girls have it).
It holds our organs in place, “controls the holes” for lack of a better term, and supports our baby during pregnancy (among other things).
When the pelvic floor is weak (like on the right photo), that’s when we might have pelvic floor symptoms.
Here are three of the most common pelvic floor symptoms:
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Incontinence: see how the weak pelvic floor muscle allows for a bigger opening at the bladder? Since there’s not as much muscle strength, there’s less control on “pinching” the bladder shut. Leaking is not a “weak bladder” issue, but a weak pelvic floor issue.
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Feeling of heaviness or bulging: notice in the right image how low all the organs sit. This is what heaviness/bulging/pressure looks like internally. The pelvic floor “hammock” essentially caves in and can’t support the load of these organs as optimally.
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Low back pain: the pelvic floor connects to the end of your tailbone (the bottom of your spine), and is the bottom of your overall 3D core system. This means that pelvic floor weakness can result in pain in your low back.
Hoping this can help you visualize these issues a bit easier!
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I got you,
Katelyn
About Me
Hi, I'm Katelyn! I'm a girl mom to Amelia & wife to my high school sweetheart, Anthony. I'm a dual certified pregnancy & postpartum fitness coach, majored in exercise science from the University of Michigan, and now coach clients both in person and through our FIGR app subscriptions. Can't wait to connect with you!
