By Maddison Wilson, exercise physiologist and pilates instructor at The Physio Pilates Movement

The pelvic floor muscles are the muscles that help ‘hold up’ your pelvic organs in your pelvis. They sit low in the pelvis and are just one component that is connected to the “deep core”.

The diaphragm, transverse abdominis, pelvic floor and multifidus are the four muscles that make up the “deep core” or the “abdominal canister”. We want these muscles to work in sync to allow for appropriate intra-abdominal pressure regulation. 

When there is weakness or poor intrabdominal pressures the deep core cannot work to its full function and therefore pelvic floor dysfunction can occur. Pelvic floor dysfunction is where the pelvic floor muscles are unable to coordinate muscle contraction and relaxation.

There are multiple symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. Both “tight” and “weak” pelvic floors are not functional, and we want the deep core muscles to assist in both relaxing and contracting these muscles. 

Tight and weak pelvic floor muscles can have crossover symptoms and we often see clients completing ‘Kegels’ (pelvic floor contractions) when, in fact, they have a tight pelvic floor and need to relax.

So if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, a review would be beneficial. Assessment and exercise programs provided by a women's health physiotherapist and/or exercise physiologist can assist with your symptoms.

For post-birth exercises from The Physio Pilates Movement, check out the Flame's article here. 

For more information on The Physio Pilates Movement, visit the website