Why Your Posture Impacts Your Pelvic Floor

If you imagine your bladder as a large exercise ball hanging from the roof, connected by four straps that stop it from crashing to the ground, this is a little bit like your bladder and the ligaments that suspend and support your pelvic organs. Your pelvic floor should support your bladder from underneath to stop excess strain being put on those ligament supporting straps.

As your bladder fills it should sit on top of your pubic bone. This is really important!

If you were to, for example, cough or sneeze that would create pressure in your body that hits both your pelvic organs – including your bladder.

If your bladder is sitting up nice and high because it’s supported by a good pelvic floor, and it’s sitting on top of the pubic bone, the pressure force that hits the bladder and doesn’t have as much impact and you remain continent and there is minimal strain on the ligaments supporting the bladder.

If you cough or sneeze and you don’t have a great, supportive pelvic floor you really need your bladder to sit on top of the pubic bone otherwise all the stress created by the cough or the sneeze will hit your bladder and you only have those ligaments and whatever pelvic floor strength you can muster to support your bladder.

How does your posture impact the position of your bladder?

If you stand with your hips forward and pelvic slightly tucked under – which a LOT of people do – then the bladder falls off the pubic bone. Suddenly the forces created by the sneeze or a cough are impacting your bladder and bladder neck much, much more because it doesn’t have the support of the pubic bone. You are now relying on your pelvic floor to have enough strength and lift to support your bladder so all the strain isn’t on those ligaments that are holding your bladder (the exercise ball) up.

Moral of the story: Learning to let go of gripping strategies, or how to release tight muscles so you can stand in a better position in your hips and pelvis is going to help keep your bladder on top of your pubic bone as it fills. This places much less stress on the ligaments (which can tear) and pelvic floor. This helps you stay continent and reduces the risk of prolapse development.

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