We often hear about a weak pelvic floor, but did you know that your pelvic floor muscle could be too tight? I think it’s important before we move forward to understand that a tight muscle and a strong muscle are two different things. A tight muscle is still a weak muscle and for your pelvic floor (just like any other muscle) we want to ensure it can move through its full range of motion meaning that you can contract it well and relax it well – the ability to relax is very helpful when it comes to pushing out a baby.
I remember after giving birth to my son the OB tell me that my pelvic floor was ‘too strong’. Back then I did not know what I know now about PF and thought that this was GOOD thing! I now know, almost 14years later and having worked with 1000’s of mums that this is very much not the case.
I know your next question is likely to be “So how do I know if my pelvic floor is too tight?” and it’s a great question because for some women having a hypertonic (tight) pelvic floor is completely symptom free. They may only, like me, become aware of this when they (try) to push out a baby vaginally and find it’s not that easy.
The very best way to understand your pelvic floor is to book an appointment with a Women’s or Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. They can assess your PF function – i.e., can it fully contract and fully relax. Along with your actual strength, endurance, and anything else that might be ‘going on on the inside’ that you need to know about. I recommend that all my pregnant clients see a WHP by around 20weeks pregnant if they haven’t seen one before that. This way if they do have a hypertonic pelvic floor and would benefit from some release work then they have time to work hand in hand with their physio before baby arrives.
Some women do have symptoms of a too-tight PF, sometimes these symptoms may seem unrelatable and unfortunately many women live with some of these symptoms for years because they haven’t found anyone to help them to put the pieces together yet.
Here are some of the symptoms you can now be aware of:
• Constipation, incomplete or straining to empty the bowels
• Pelvic, hip, lower back and coccyx pain
• Painful sex, not being able to insert a tampon or vaginismum (involuntary tensing of the vagina)
• Incomplete emptying of the bladder, slow urine flow, painful urination & recuring ITI’s (because you’re not emptying your bladder)
And one that is often more commonly related to a ‘weak – loose’ pelvic floor –
• Urinary incontinence (because the PF does relax enough to then contract to keep you continent)
The big awareness with this one is that many people will assume they need to do more pelvic floor exercises if they are experiencing incontinence when this could make things worse!
The moral of the story is that your pelvic floor can be too lose and too tight so it’s always good to get checked by a pelvic or women’s health physio.
To find a trusted Women’s Health Physio in your area you can head to mumsafe.com.au/physios.
