Dealing with Bladder Leaks or Lower Back Pain? You May Have a Weak Pelvic Floor
Experts reveal how to strengthen these key muscles and reduce urinary incontinence
If you’re dealing with bladder leaks, especially when you laugh, sneeze or cry, it could be a sign you have a weak pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor plays a key role in bladder and bowel movements and can weaken over time. To shed more light on the all-too-common issue, we turned to the experts. Here, the weak pelvic floor symptoms you need to know, plus easy tips that can help.
What is a weak pelvic floor?
First, a quick explainer: The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach to the bony part of the pelvis. “They provide a ‘basket’ of support for the pelvic organs, and contract and relax to facilitate the passage of urine or stool,” explains Samantha Pulliam, MD, FACOG, urogynecologist and chief medical officer at Axena Health. “They’re also involved in a host of other bodily functions, from breathing to sex to posture.”
These muscles and connective tissues may be weak for a variety of reasons. Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, owner of Femina Physical Therapy in Los Angeles and past president of the Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, says muscles that are short and tight or too lengthened can lead to weak and inefficient contractions. “Your muscles may be at a good length, but just be de-conditioned or not well coordinated,” Jeffcoat adds.
Other common reasons for a weak pelvic floor include hormonal changes that happen during perimenopause or menopause, childbirth or pregnancy. “Neurologic diseases like multiple sclerosis and chronic pressure on the pelvic floor due to things like obesity or very intensive exercise” can also contribute to the problem, says Dr. Pulliam.
What the pelvic floor does
When your pelvic floor is properly functioning, the ability to squeeze and lift those muscles, maintain the lift, or relax the muscles is easy.
“Pelvic floor muscle weakness usually refers to the inability to squeeze and lift adequately, or the inability to hold that squeeze and lift long enough to prevent urinary leakage or bowel leakage,” says Dr. Pulliam.
When your body can’t correctly contract and relax those muscles, it’s considered pelvic floor dysfunction. Your doctor can confirm the diagnosis with a physical exam and by reviewing your medical history.
Weak pelvic floor symptoms
Jeffcoat says that symptoms of pelvic floor weakness often include urinary incontinence (bladder leaks) or bowel leakage. But those aren’t the only issues people with pelvic floor weakness may experience. Other symptoms include:
- Inability to hold gas
- Pelvic pain or lower abdominal heaviness or pressure
- Lower back or hip pain
- Urgency incontinence: Dr. Pulliam says this is the “inability to hold the urethra closed when you feel a strong urge to urinate.”
- Pelvic organ prolapse: “This is the bulging of vaginal or uterine tissue down and out the opening of the vagina,” explains Dr. Pulliam.
How to treat a weak pelvic floor
Treating a weak pelvic floor involves strengthening the muscles. But that process can look different from person to person, depending on your medical history and unique needs. A good starting point? Talking to a pelvic floor physical therapist or specialist.
“This provider specializes in identifying your specific cause of pelvic floor weakness and developing a treatment plan so you can meet your goals,” says Jeffcoat.
Two key ways that may help strengthen your pelvic floor:
Pelvic floor exercises
You can do different exercises depending on the condition of your muscles. “If your muscles are weak and present as short and tight, you will need to do more mobility work prior to beginning your strengthening program,” says Jeffcoat.
“If your muscles are too lengthened, you will be more likely to start with strength and stability work,” Jeffcoat adds. Both Jeffcoat and Dr. Pulliam advise against Kegels because they don’t do enough to strengthen the pelvic floor.
For some easy-to-follow pelvic floor exercises, check out this video from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:
Try a personalized ‘coach’
In addition to exercising, Dr. Pulliam recommends using a proven biofeedback system, such as a wearable vaginal wand. “The Leva Pelvic Health System can help provide women the therapy needed to correctly and consistently strengthen their pelvic floor muscles.” It combines unique technology with personalized coaching to help women rebuild their pelvic floor.
The Leva wand gets inserted vaginally and has motion sensors along the device that detect movement for the pelvic floor. You can connect it to a smartphone app and track your movements in real time.
Your pelvic floor often gets overlooked, but it’s a crucial part of the body. “Learning about how to care for the muscles, especially around common life transitions for women like having children or menopause, is really important,” says Dr. Pulliam.
For more ways to protect your pelvic floor:
“Pelvic Floor Massage Stopped My Embarrassing Bladder Leaks — For Good!”
Goodbye, Bladder Leaks! Doctors Reveal the Best Urinary Incontinence Remedies
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan
