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A person with weak pelvic floor or pelvic floor dysfunction can have difficulty controlling their pelvic floor muscles. This problem can lead to urinary issues, pain in the lower back, difficulty when having a bowel movement, and various other issues.
What Are Pelvic Floor Muscles?
The pelvic floor is basically a group of muscles and ligaments in the pelvic region. Your pelvic organs include:
- bladder
- vagina and uterus in women
- prostrate in men
- rectum
The pelvic floor muscles support these organs by allowing you to relax and contract them. These muscles also allow you to manage your urination, bowel movements, and intercourse, particularly in women.
Weak pelvic floor forces you to contract these muscles rather than relax them, which in return, leads to difficulty having a healthy bowel movement and urination. Pelvic floor dysfunction, if not treated at the right time, can cause long-term damage and infection to the colon.
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What Are the Major Signs of a Weak Pelvic Floor?
There are a variety of signs and symptoms associated with a weak pelvic floor. We’ve outlined here the six major ones that can help you identify whether your pelvic floor muscles need some strengthening.
1. Leaking urine
A very common sign of a weak pelvic floor is accidentally leaking urine, sometimes also called incontinence or loss of bladder control. It can happen anytime while performing everyday activities such as exercising, laughing, coughing, sneezing, or lifting something heavy.
2. Painful intercourse
Pain during intercourse is also a sign of weak pelvic floor muscles, though it’s a lesser-known symptom that mostly happens in women. Pain may be severe or mild and may also reduce your participation in intercourse and your ability to enjoy it.
3. Fecal incontinence
Fecal incontinence is when you pass a stool involuntarily. It is less common than urinary incontinence, but it is still a sign of pelvic floor dysfunction. Fecal incontinence is more likely to happen to women who’ve had a fourth-degree tear while giving birth.
4. A frequent urge to urinate
When your pelvic floor muscles are weakened, you may also feel like you constantly have the urge to pee. While some people believe that this might be a bladder infection, in reality, this is a symptom of a weak pelvic floor.
5. Pelvic organ prolapse
Another very common sign of a weak pelvic floor is pelvic organ prolapse, which happens when one or more pelvic organs fall into the genitals of a woman, leading to a bulge in the vagina. A woman can experience pelvic organ prolapse of the bladder, rectum, and uterus.
6. Vaginal flatulence
Flatulence is basically a farting sound that comes out of the vagina. It is commonly known as queefing, and it mainly occurs when air gets trapped inside the vagina. It is a lesser-known sign of unhealthy pelvic floor muscles, which can happen during exercise, intercourse, stretching, or yoga.
Exercises for Weak Pelvic Floor
The good news is that you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles with certain exercises. Changing lifestyle habits and managing underlying health conditions may help, too. Here are some of the best exercises you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor:
Quick flick Kegels
Instructions:
- Lie down on the floor with your feet flat and knees bent. Now contract your muscles as you would do to stop urinating.
- Simultaneously, pull your belly button towards your spine and then contract and release your pelvic floor muscles.
- Keep breathing easily throughout the exercise. Repeat the quick flick a few times more.
Runner’s lunge
Instructions:
- Step your right foot forward while stacking that knee over your ankle. As you do this, allow your back knee to rest on the floor.
- Rest your hands on the floor in front of you, and shift your hips forward to open up your right thigh.
Happy baby pose
Instructions:
- Lie down on the floor with your knees bent, and then bring your knees towards your stomach at a 90-degree angle. Make sure the soles of your feet are facing up.
- Hold the inside or outside of your feet using both hands and open your knees until they get wider than your torso.
- Move your feet up towards your armpits and stay in the position for several breaths.
Exercises to Avoid with Weak Pelvic Floor
While the aforementioned pelvic floor exercises are safe and effective, there are certain movements that must be avoided if you have weak pelvic floor muscles. These include weight lifting, running, high-intensity abdominal muscles, and intense core exercises such as abdominal crunches and squats.
These exercises put excessive pressure on the abdomen, causing stress to the pelvic floor and resulting in pain and other symptoms.
