The Pelvic Floor: Keeping Your Core Strong

The pelvic floor—though a mystery to many—is essential for our daily lives and affects everything from bladder control to core stability. This post takes a deep dive into the pelvic floor's anatomy, functions, and ways to support its health, especially after childbirth or other pelvic traumas.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor: Anatomy and Function

Think of your pelvis as a bowl: your hip bones form the sides, the sacrum forms the back, and the pubic bone anchors the front. The pelvic floor is a “shelf” of muscles that creates the base of this bowl, supporting the bladder, rectum, and, in women, the uterus. This shelf has three essential openings—for urine, stool, and in women, for vaginal health.

The pelvic floor muscles are like a flexible hammock, holding a bit of tension to support organs and control the release of bodily functions. When functioning well, they prevent leaks, maintain posture, and even enhance sensation during intimacy.

What Happens When the Pelvic Floor Isn’t Working?

Pelvic floor dysfunction, a common but often misunderstood issue, can happen when the pelvic muscles are either too weak or too tight.

• Weak Pelvic Floor: This often results in bladder or bowel leaks, prolapse (where organs begin to sag into the vagina), or a feeling of looseness during intercourse.

• Tight Pelvic Floor: When muscles are too tight, symptoms might include frequent urges to urinate, rectal spasms, or pain during intercourse.

Men can also experience pelvic floor dysfunction, especially after prostate surgery or with aging. In both men and women, the pelvic floor weakens naturally over time, making awareness and proactive support essential.

Pelvic Floor Therapy: How It Helps

Many people are unfamiliar with pelvic floor therapy, which is a specialized form of physical therapy designed to strengthen and relax these important muscles. Just as a physical therapist might guide you through exercises to recover after a shoulder injury, pelvic floor therapists use targeted therapies to restore pelvic health. Therapy can involve exercises, biofeedback, or electrical stimulation to help you learn how to properly contract and release these muscles.

A Holistic Approach

Pelvic floor therapists are also educators who guide patients through understanding their unique anatomy and needs. This can be especially beneficial for women recovering from childbirth, which is a major event that often disrupts pelvic floor stability. Yet, unlike physical therapy after a joint surgery, post-childbirth pelvic floor therapy is rarely covered by insurance—despite its proven benefits.

Prehab and Pelvic Floor Strength

Prehab, or preparing muscles before a known trauma, is another powerful strategy. For example, women planning a pregnancy can start strengthening their pelvic floor ahead of time to minimize damage during childbirth. Similarly, men scheduled for prostate surgery can engage in prehab exercises to better protect their pelvic floor during recovery.

Kegels: The Foundation of Pelvic Floor Strength

Kegel exercises—consciously contracting and releasing pelvic floor muscles—are a well-known way to maintain strength. However, many people don’t perform Kegels correctly. To isolate the right muscles, try squeezing as if you’re stopping urine mid-stream (but avoid practicing this during actual urination to prevent muscle confusion).

To make Kegels more effective, consider adding weight or energy to the muscle. Just like with bicep exercises, you need resistance to strengthen your pelvic floor. Small weights (Kegel balls or vaginal cones) can increase intensity, while devices that deliver electrical or electromagnetic stimulation contract the muscles deeply to create growth over time.

Electrical and Electromagnetic Stimulation

Both electrical and electromagnetic stimulation can enhance pelvic floor strength, though they work in different ways:

• Electrical Stimulation: Often performed with an internal device, this sends small electric pulses to contract the pelvic muscles. It’s useful for people who have trouble isolating or activating their pelvic floor muscles.

• Electromagnetic Stimulation: Performed using a chair-like device (e.g., the EMSELLA chair), electromagnetic stimulation creates a deep, intense muscle contraction, targeting a broader area of the pelvic floor than electrical stimulation alone. Studies show that electromagnetic stimulation can significantly improve bladder capacity, muscle thickness, and even lift the pelvic floor over time.

Biofeedback and Home Devices

Biofeedback devices don’t stimulate muscles but instead provide real-time feedback on your technique, letting you know if you’re contracting the right muscles. Apps connected to biofeedback devices can turn strengthening exercises into “games,” helping keep you motivated and on track.

Several consumer devices, like pelvic floor stimulation shorts or at-home units, are available. While not as powerful as clinical treatments, these can be helpful for consistent home exercise, especially if motivation is an issue.

You Can Improve Your Pelvic Floor Health

Whether through Kegels, physical therapy, prehab, or advanced treatments, there are plenty of options for improving pelvic floor function and reducing symptoms of weakness or tension. Proactively caring for your pelvic floor can enhance quality of life, prevent issues before they start, and even speed recovery after childbirth or surgery.

Don’t wait until you have a problem—start supporting your pelvic floor health today.

Listen to Dr Jackson go into detail about this topic!  You can hear the full episode on her podcast, Ageless and Outrageous.  Be sure to like and follow so you don’t miss an episode!

https://agelessandoutrageous.alitu.com/

The team at Foundations at Maitland are all vaginal and sexual health experts who have been helping men and women have a more fulfilling and intimate sex life for over 20 years.  If you are considering vaginal rejuvenation, you deserve to only see an expert.  

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FOUNDATIONS AT MAITLAND

At Foundations at Maitland, in Maitland FL, we offer a full range of non-surgical treatments to help you reach your aesthetic, wellness, and sexual goals.  Our providers are highly trained and experienced.  We are led by our double-board certified surgeon, Dr Kristin Jackson, who has personally developed all treatment protocols and is closely involved in the day-to-day operations of our medical spa.  With her extensive training in all non-surgical cosmetic treatments as well as over 20 years of surgical experience, Dr Jackson is uniquely qualified to ensure our medical spa provides you with the highest standards of quality care and safety.

If you are looking for vaginal rejuvenation doctors near you, we can help!  Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!