The pelvic floor

The Pelvic Floor

It always surprises me how little woman, and men, know about their pelvic floor (PF) muscles and the amazing job(s) these very-rarely-thought-of muscles do!
Let's talk briefly about their anatomy and function.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretch from the pubic bone to the tail bone. They act as a hammock supporting the abdominal contents. Like any other muscle the pelvic floor muscles can contract and relax.

When we talk about the core cylinder, the PF is also what we refer to as the "floor" of this muscular cylinder.

From - stacydockins.com

Although both men and women have a PF, there are some differences, for example in men there are 2 openings through the musculature of the PF, namely that of the urethra (form the bladder) and the anus (from the large intestine), while women have 3 openings, the urethra and the anus as men but also the vagina (from the uterus).

Taking into account where the PF is located and the openings through the muscles, one can understand that the PF: 

• plays a large role in urinary and faecal continence
• is important with regards to sexual sensation and function
• is influenced by what happens above it, i.e. in the intra-abdominal cavity
  NOTE - increases in pressure in the abdomen (straining when constipated, coughing, pregnancy etc.) will cause increased pressure on the Pelvic Floor which can influence its integrity

Take home note:
Taking care of one's PF pays huge dividends in quality of life. As important as it is to contract your PF correctly while doing pilates (and during the course of the day), one must remember not to maintain PF contractions for extended periods of time, which can cause increase tone/spasm leading to pelvic pain.

Acknowledgements
- Paediatric Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction - Introduction and Background - Corina Avni
- Pictures in blog as mentioned above
- Main picture from npwomenshealthcare.com