Pelvic floor muscles form part of your core stability. They are a group of muscles that supports your pelvis from underneath.  They are a big, hammock like muscle and have lots of important jobs. They support your pelvic organs and help in the control of your bladder and bowel. Pilates can help keep them healthy.

How do they work?

Pelvic floor muscles are kept under slight tension. This maintains continence and support. You can feel them work when you stop the flow of urine when you go to the loo.

Like any muscle, the pelvic floor muscles, need to be able to contract and relax through their full length. They should relax when you go to the loo and take up slack again after. They need to work at the right speed, power and length of time. They have to work more strongly when you cough or jump for example.

Pelvic floor muscles protect against:

  • Incontinence
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Back and pelvic pain
  • Sexual dysfunction

How do you Exercise your Pelvic Floor?

Pelvic floor exercises are sometimes known as Kegels.

Start lying down. The muscles need to generate more power in sitting or standing, so these positions make good progressions.

  • Lying comfortably, imagine that you are stopping yourself passing wind and tighten around the back of your pelvic floor. Whilst you hold this, imagine stopping yourself passing water. You should feel a tightening from the back of your pelvis to the front and upwards.
  • Try to keep your tummy and buttock muscles relaxed
  • Keep breathing normally
  • Hold for a few seconds at first and then relax the muscles back down.
  • As you get stronger, hold the lift for longer and try in sitting or standing.

These are long lifts – they help build endurance. The pelvic floor also needs to work quickly. To train your muscles to work quickly try these exercises:

  • Just as above, imagine that you are stopping yourself passing wind and tighten around the back of your pelvic floor. Whilst you hold this, imagine stopping yourself passing water. Try to do this fast.
  • Let the muscle go slowly, take a deep breath in and then try again.
  • As you get stronger, do more repetitions and try in sitting or standing.

Aim for 10sec holds x 10 and 10 fast lifts. National guidelines suggest these are most effective when practiced 3 x a day.

You might find these resources helpful for more information:

  1. NHS guide to the Pelvic floor muscles
  2. Oxford University Hospitals Information Leaflet for women
  3. Oxford University Hospitals Information Leaflet for men

What about Pilates?

Pilates exercises can help you to work on your pelvic floor strength, endurance and control. Regular Pilates training can help you tackle most pelvic floor problems.

Because you can’t see your pelvic floor it is extra important to make sure that your technique is correct. We believe that working with physiotherapist experts will help ensure you get the most out of Pilates exercises.

Pop up Pilates Instruction and Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation

Our physiotherapists will take a tailored approach to helping you with your pelvic floor. We can help you to ensure it works well as part of your global core stability, and that works well as a muscle on it’s own. So, whether you are struggling with leaking, weakness, pain, prolapse or overactivity we can help.

We recommend arranging a pre-class introductions with your physiotherapist to give us the time to help you best.  Find out more about pre-class introductions here.

We can also offer 1:1 tuition. Several of our physiotherapists are pelvic health specialists. If you would like help with a bespoke Pilates training programme, we can match you with a physiotherapist to suit your needs. Meet our team here. 

And, for individuals with more complex problems we can work closely with other physiotherapists and health care professionals involved in your care.