Does even THINKING about jumping, coughing or sneezing make you feel like your going to pee your pants?
It did for me for most of my childhood and adult life.
I never talked about it and why would I. It’s embarrassing and I thought no one else dealt with this problem.
I had become so used to leaking that I didn’t even realize it was a problem.
It wasn’t until I began specializing in pelvic health that I realized there was a key component that I was missing when it came to understanding how to engage my pelvic floor.
In this post I am going to go over what the pelvic floor is and the important role it plays in keeping your bladder leakage free!
So what is the pelvic floor?
Simply put, the pelvic floor is the base of support for your abdominal cavity. The pelvic floor is composed of muscles that attach from your pubic bone in the front to your sacrum in the back creating a hammock for all of the organs above it.
The main function of the pelvic floor is:
- Supporting organs: bladder, urethra, rectum, bowels, uterus, anus, prostate
- Controlling bladder and bowel function
- Increasing blood flow and circulation during intercourse to improve pleasure
- Core stabilization and postural support
- Managing intra-abdominal pressure
- Supporting child birth for people with vaginas
How does the pelvic floor help with being leak free?
When the pelvic floor is performing optimally, the muscles contract to help us maintain continence throughout the day and relax when we are ready to empty our bladder and bowels. Usually this is a process that our body does without us even having to think about it.
However, if we leak, even if it is just a couple of drops, it is a sign that our pelvic floor is not working as optimally as it should. There are many things that could be contributing to the cause of leakage, but the number one cause of leakage comes down to simple physics:
When the Inside pressure is greater than the Outside pressure.
- Inside pressure is the filling of urine in the bladder
- Outside pressure is the pressure changes in the abdominal cavity like when you’re tightening your abs to do a sit up and when you’re holding your breath while lifting something heavy
Let’s simplify it even further and think about your bladder as a water balloon:
- The balloon itself is the bladder, the opening is the urethra, and your fingers are acting as the pelvic floor muscles letting water out or keeping it in.
- When the water balloon is at its fullest and the material cannot stretch any further, the inside pressure in the balloon becomes greater than the outside pressure of the fingers. In our body if we let this go on for too long, our pelvic floor muscles will not be able to withstand the pressure and an accident can occur.
- When the water balloon is only partially full there is less inside pressure which allows the fingers to keep the opening closed more easily.
- Now imagine that the balloon is ½ full and someone is squeezing really hard on the outside of the balloon. This can create too much outside pressure creating an increased challenge to keep the end of the balloon closed and could cause some leakage. In the body, an example would be tightening your abs really hard and quick when you have to cough or sneeze. This sudden and significant increase of outside pressure is greater than the inside pressure and leakage can occur.
- Leakage can also occur if the pressure on the closure of the balloon (the fingers) is less than the inside of the balloon. In the body, this could be a sign that the pelvic floor muscles are weak.
Empowering yourself with the knowledge and understanding of how the pelvic floor works is the first step to achieving optimal pelvic health. Click here to receive a free guide on exercises you can do to help your pelvic floor and be leak free!
