Your Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a broad sling of muscles connected to your pelvic bone at the front, and your coccyx (tail bone) at the back. It supports your pelvic organs including your womb, rectum and bladder. The openings to these organs, including the urethra (the opening to the bladder), pass through the pelvic floor.

Position of the female pelvic floor muscles

If the pelvic floor muscles become weak or are damaged, the function and control of your pelvic organs may be affected. This can lead to bladder problems with symptoms including involuntary loss of urine, or incontinence.

Causes of a weak pelvic floor

A weak pelvic floor may be a result of pregnancy and childbirth, heavy lifting, a chronic cough or persistent straining with constipation. Being overweight and the menopause can also contribute to the condition.

What can you do?

If you are suffering from incontinence problems that may be the result of a weak pelvic floor, there are a number of ways you could help your condition, including:

Lifestyle changes

There are some lifestyle changes you can make that can help to prevent or strengthen a weak pelvic floor or reduce its symptoms:

Reduce the amount of caffeine and alcohol that you drink – these can irritate the bladder and make any problems worse

Drink plenty of fluid – three to four pints a day (two litres) – if you do not drink enough, your urine will be more concentrated and cause further problems, though be careful not to drink too much as this can distend the bladder

Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fibre to encourage regular bowel movement – straining with constipation can weaken the pelvic floor, and a full bowel puts extra strain on the muscles

Lose weight – combine your healthy diet with exercise – being overweight puts extra strain on your pelvic floor

Stop smoking – if you develop a smoker’s cough this could weaken your pelvic floor

Avoid heavy lifting – this can put a strain on the muscles of your pelvic floor

However making lifestyle changes to improve your symptoms will not necessarily treat any underlying cause

Pelvic floor exercises

Exercising your pelvic floor can help to strengthen the muscles and give you more control over your bladder. That is where BMI pelvic floor can help, through treatment including physiotherapy and exercise. Your BMI women’s health physiotherapist will tailor your exercises around you and your individual condition, your muscle strength and your symptoms. She will make sure you are exercising the right muscles and making good progress. When pelvic floor exercises are performed correctly and supervised by a trained physiotherapist, two thirds of women report that they are sufficiently improved to avoid medication or surgery. To arrange an appointment with a BMI women’s health physiotherapist for BMI pelvic floor treatment or to find out more call 0800 092 2942 or send an enquiry.

Other treatments

If physiotherapy is not appropriate for your condition, other treatment options may be recommended such as medication and surgery. Please see our individual pages on treatment for more information.