Pelvic Floor Function #4: Stability

You’ve done core exercises, right? You’ve probably had a coach or a yoga teacher say “engage your core” or “tighten your core” or “we’re going to work on your core.”

But what is the core?

Let’s break it down:

There are two groups of core muscles: the deep core and the outer core. Think of deep as the “stabilizers” and the outer as the “movers”. The deep core prepares for movement by “zipping up” the trunk, then the movers actually, well, move.

Let’s dive into the deep core. This layer is made of four muscles that create the “canister” of the trunk: the pelvic floor is below, the deepest layer of abdominals (transverse abdominis) in front, the deep back stabilizers (multifidi) along the spine, and the respiratory diaphragm at the top. Connecting all of these muscle groups is fascia, which is like the saran wrap of body tissue, making sure they are all interconnected.

When all four of these muscle groups are coordinated, they sort of tighten or zip up just before you move a limb, keeping the trunk stable.

When one group is weak, injured, or uncoordinated, we lose some of that stability.

Think of a can of La Croix: when its’ sealed, it’s solid. You can squeeze the sides as hard as you can, or step on the top, and it’s going to stay solid. But as soon as you pop the top, you can squeeze the sides to crush it, or stand on it and it’ll collapse. Even if you break the seal just a little—the stuff inside will still squeeze out.

Our trunk is pretty similar. If the pelvic floor isn’t “sealing” properly when you cough, sneeze, jump, or laugh, some of the “stuff” inside leaks out.

Same goes for the back muscles, or the abdominal muscles in the front (think diastasis, which I’ll cover another day!), or if you’re holding your breath all day. If one or all of these muscles gets knocked off track, we lose an element of stability.

So next time you’re in a class and the instructor says to “engage your core”, add your pelvic floor into the mix.

Head back to read my posts about the other three functions of the pelvic floor for a complete picture: Sexual Function, Sphincters, and Support. And if you want a full tour, catch my video Tour of the Pelvic Floor here.