by Kristin Kennedy, DPT
Are you “double-jointed”?
Did you ever wonder if there was a connection between having too much mobility in your pelvis and pelvic floor muscle tension? Well, you guessed it!
Your pelvis has joints!
There are 4 major joints in the pelvis - two on either side of your sacrum (SI joints), one connecting your tailbone to your sacrum, and one in the middle of your pubic bone in the front.
Why does this matter?
Because if there is too much movement between any of those joints, the muscles in the surrounding area - in the hips, abdomen, low back and pelvic floor - will try to compensate and create stability. Over time, this can lead to pain, muscle spasms and pelvic floor dysfunction.
This is something that we see not only in hypermobile patients but also during pregnancy since the circulating hormones are creating extra laxity in the joints.
So what do we do about it?
First, we want to release any tension in those tight muscles so that they can lengthen appropriately. THEN, we can add core and hip stabilization exercises to strengthen these muscles. Sometimes, we also recommend using external support braces to provide extra stability until the muscles gain enough strength to support the body on their own.
Does this sound familiar to you? Reach out and we can help!