4 Lifestyle Causes of Tightness and Pain in the Pelvic Floor

Pelvic pain can be a serious problem for both men and women.  Pelvic pain is defined by pain in the saddle area, lower abdominals, low back or sometimes into the legs.  There are potentially many sources of pelvic pain and tightness but for this article we will focus on 4 more common sources of the problem.

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Low back pain:  Chronic low back pain can lead to muscle guarding of the pelvic floor.  Muscle guarding is an involuntary contraction of the muscle.  When muscles are contracting for long periods of time this can lead to tightness and pain from overwork. This can be rectified through stretching and breathing techniques to decrease pelvic floor muscle spasm.

Bike riding: Spending a long time on a bicycle can cause trauma to the muscles of the pelvic floor.  When muscles in the saddle area have constant pressure of a hard bike seat, they can get very irritable.  This may lead to problems with sitting or having any pressure against the muscles of the pelvic floor.  Spending more time off the bike seat while riding as well as seat cushioning or padded shorts can really help decrease this problem.  The more avid riders would benefit from a custom bike seat fitting that can be done at specialty bike shops or some outdoor stores.

Constipation:  Difficulty with bowel movements requires the pelvic floor muscles to work very hard.  Vigorous straining can cause muscle tearing and pain in the pelvic region.  Solutions to this problem can be dietary or medicine to help loosen the stool and decrease the amount of strain required to have a bowel movement.  Increased water intake and increasing your dietary fiber can make bowel movements easier.  Also there are positioning changes on the toilet such has putting your feet on a stool, to elevate the knees above the hips, that can make bowel movements easier. 
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Medication: Decongestants can lead to a decrease in urine flow.  The decreased urine flow results from the prostate squeezing the smooth muscle of the urethra and limiting flow, which can lead to further straining and pelvic floor muscle pain. Antihistamines can also lead to difficulty with urination as a result of weakening the bladder contraction.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of causes for pelvic floor tightness, but these are a few of the common causes.  There are stretching techniques and deep breathing techniques that can be used to relieve pain and symptoms associated with muscle spasm and tightness.  A pelvic floor physical therapist can show you these and guide you on how to perform them correctly.  For more information please feel free to message us or call to speak with a pelvic floor therapist.

To Schedule An Appointment Call 
304.525.4445

​John Oxley PT,
​DPT, OCS, CSCS, Cert. MDT​