What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor consists of a thin layer of muscle fibers and connective tissue enclosing the pelvic cavity at its lower portion and the sacrum. The pelvic floor muscles encompass the urethra, vagina and anus, and they are arranged in such a way that these anatomical parts never work independently from each other. As such, its functions go far …show more content…
These muscles also help to protect the pelvic organs from external injuries, to protect the abdomen organs--especially when you're standing--and they play an obvious role during intercourse and the usual physiological acts of evacuation. These muscles basically control the opening and closing, and the pressure of the lower body openings in the body.
An important component of feminine health
There are several risk factors that can debilitate these muscles: the baby's weight during pregnancy; the birth itself, by passage of the baby through the vagina; postpartum, due to the early exercise of the abdominal; the practice of high impact sports or lifting weights; and even the use of high-heeled shoes.
Hormonal changes caused by menopause, obesity, chronic cough, stress, or some daily habits like excessive retention of urine or even wearing very tight clothes can also cause weakness in the pelvic floor.
In addition to the aforementioned causes, dysfunction of pelvic diaphragm may occur as a result of some imbalance in some other part of the body. For example, a dysfunction in the region of the pelvis or spine may require the pelvic floor to work harder, generating excessive wear and