Just like other muscles in the body, your pelvic floor muscles can experience tightness. When these
muscles become too tight or overactive, they can't work as effectively. As a result, this can contribute to
conditions such as pain with sitting, tailbone pain, pain during or after sex, constipation, and leakage of
urine (incontinence).

​There are many ways to reduce tightness in the pelvic floor, and stretching is one useful tool that can
help. Below is a list of five easy stretches to try for pelvic health and flexibility:

There are multiple reasons for this that can include damage to the nerve that controls urinary function, resection of one of the two sphincters that controls urine flow, and poor control of the pelvic floor. In 1996 Davidson et al. did a study in the UK to evaluate incontinence after radical prostatectomy. They found that at 3 months post-surgery, 21% of the participants were experiencing UI and 14% were still experiencing incontinence at 1 year. This percentage is significant when you consider that we do 90,000 radical prostatectomies per year in the US.

Have you ever leaked urine? If you have, you're not alone: research shows that over 400 million people may be affected by this condition worldwide. Urinary incontinence (UI) is a term that describes involuntary leakage of urine of any amount, and there can be lots of different reasons why it may happen. Both men and women can have UI, but it is more common in women. UI is also more common with increasing age; in 2014, approximately 1 in 4 women in the United States ages 60-69 were impacted.

Two common types of leakage are called stress and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence happens when a sudden increase in pressure within the abdomen places enough stress to overcome the strength or coordination of muscles that help maintain control of the bladder. Those with stress incontinence may experience leaking during activities like sneezing, laughing, jumping, coughing, or running. Many women report that they start to experience this type of leakage after having children and/or as they get older. In addition, athletes participating in activities with higher impact forces like running or jumping may also experience stress UI.