- The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the bladder and the uterus.
- Pelvic floor dysfunction is commonly associated with urinary incontinence and prolapse, but there are many other reasons to strengthen your pelvic floor.
- Pelvic floor exercises can also help strengthen the core and improve sexual function.
A lot of women don't even look at their vaginas, let alone think about the muscles in that area of the body, Tania Boler said. That's why she created the Elvie Trainer, a biofeedback device designed to help women visualize their pelvic floor exercises.
While many Elvie users are new moms or women going through menopause, Boler said there's a third group who uses the device: young, active women. She said these women are typically looking to improve their core strength and
Jessica Shepherd, OB/GYN, said younger women should approach pelvic floor health with prevention in mind rather than waiting until something goes wrong.
"A lot of times pelvic health is associated only with older women, but it really should start early in our lives," Shepherd said. "Maybe early 20s is when we should really think, how do I treat my pelvis and what are some things that I can do to strengthen it."
By starting to exercise the pelvic floor muscles early, younger women can get some benefits, like improved sexual function, right away and also look forward to a healthier future.
Pelvic floor exercises can help improve sexual function
Learning to both strengthen and relax the pelvic floor muscles can help with a range of sexual problems faced by women.
A strong pelvic floor was associated with higher rates of sexual activity and better reported sexual function, according to a study published in the International Urogynecology Journal. Working the pelvic floor muscles could contribute to better orgasms, in part because some of those muscles are connected to the clitoris, Boler said.
But strength is only half of healthy muscle function. You also want to make sure your pelvic muscles can lengthen all the way, physical therapist Allison Ball explained.
Tightness in the pelvic floor muscles, especially those around the opening of the vagina, can cause some women to experience pain during sex. Certain yoga poses (like "happy baby," where you lie on your back with your legs in the air and grab the insteps of your feet) can help relax those muscles.
Core exercises can strengthen your pelvic floor, and vice versa
Boler and Shepherd both said that women should consider pelvic health when working on their overall
"We spend so much attention on the outside of our bodies, going to the gym, but what about the inside of our bodies too?" Boler said.
Some exercises that you'd normally do at the gym will also strengthen the pelvic floor. Shepherd named planks, squats, and lunges as core exercises that activate the pelvic floor muscles. She also recommended adding weight to those exercises to further strengthen the framework of the body.
The pelvic floor muscles co-contract with the back and abdominal muscles, so doing pelvic floor exercises like Kegels can also work your core.
Lower back pain can be associated with pelvic floor weakness or tightness
A major role of the pelvic floor is to stabilize the muscles in your back, so oftentimes back pain can be associated with pelvic floor dysfunction.
A study recently published in Musculoskeletal Science and Practice found that 95% of participants — all women with lower back pain — experienced some form of pelvic floor dysfunction.
"Often, women are told to exercise their pelvic floor to increase their entire set of posture muscles, which is the abdominal, pelvic floor, and lower back muscles," Boler said.
More research needs to be done to confirm whether pelvic floor exercise specifically helps with lower back pain, but small studies have indicated that it could be a promising intervention for pain relief and mobility improvement.
High impact sports can lead to urinary incontinence
While loss of bladder control is often associated with older people or postpartum women, female athletes are also at an increased risk of urinary incontinence.
High-impact sports, especially those that involve running on a hard surface, can stress and even damage the pelvic floor muscles, Boler said. A review published in the International Urogynecology Journal found that female athletes had a 177% higher risk of urinary incontinence compared to sedentary women.
On the other hand, obesity is another stressor for the pelvic floor, so it's important to keep up a balanced exercise routine. For those having trouble holding in their urine, pelvic floor exercises, or Kegels, can help strengthen those muscles.
Learning how to isolate your pelvic floor muscles early will help you later in life
With older populations, Ball said a common problem is a lack of awareness of the pelvic floor muscles. Learning how to isolate those muscles when they're working properly will make it easier to strengthen if a problem comes up later in life.
Almost one quarter of women deal with urinary incontinence or prolapse (where one or more of the pelvic organs presses into the vagina) at some point in life, typically in the months and years after giving birth, so it's good to plan ahead for what could go wrong.
"Starting to focus on pelvic health even early on is really important, just for the general health of your muscles and your joints and the ability of your body to support itself throughout a lifetime," Ball said.
Read more:
The best pelvic floor exercises for every age, demonstrated by a physical therapist