The pelvic floor is made up of tissue that forms a sling across the bottom of the pelvis. This sling supports and keeps our pelvic organs in place (bladder, uterus, intestines, colon, and rectum). When abdominal pressure increases the sling stretches or lowers to allow space for the expanding abdomen.
This necessary expansion and contraction is referred to as the second diaphragm because it moves downward as the respiratory diaphragm moves upward. When these two diaphragms move in opposite directions it increases the size of the abdominal body cavity. A perfect marriage of up and down.
Problems arise when the pelvic floor freezes in place. Instead of increasing the body cavity, it shuts the door. To complicate the matter, it disrupts the respiratory diaphragm and freezes it as well. With both diaphragms stuck the abdominal cavity is squeezed. Two things happen. The stomach acids squeeze up the esophagus and lower bowels squeeze down the urethra/anus. Squeezing up causes Acid Reflux and Squeezing down causes Urinary and Fecal Incontinence.
One in four women in the US suffers from one or more pelvic floor disorders (urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, or organ prolapse.)
THE ROLE OF FASCIA in the pelvic floor.
We know that fascia surrounds every structure in the body while maintaining its own nervous system, thereby making it almost as sensitive as skin. When we get injured, tense, or sit with bad posture over long periods our sensitive fascia will tighten up. It can snag, twist, and adhere to itself causing stress in the pelvic floor.
Some muscles will remain strong while others will be restricted and weakened. The weaker section will be tender to the touch and painful upon compression. During pelvic floor massage, it is important to identify tender or sensitive areas for the therapist. Some reactions are latent and only cause pain when compression is applied directly to the weakened point so an individual may not feel any discomfort during everyday activities. A latent reaction always has a taut band that identifies the Direction of Resistance (DR) for a therapist to lengthen.
When there is a fascial imbalance we strengthen the strong areas and the weak areas remain weak. The remedy of the fascial imbalance is to smooth and lengthen the muscle to its full range of motion. If we perform Kegels (repetitive contraction/release of the pelvic floor) we can manifest a fascial imbalance. Pelvic Floor massage can increase the range of movement in the muscles and fascia, which facilitates our ability to either contract or release muscles evenly, thus improving muscle function that would allow for proper pelvic organ positioning.
For more information or to schedule an appointment
Please call us at 321-831-5122 or visit our website
We are Open M-F 10:30 am to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am – 12 pm, and closed Sundays.
1049 Eber Blvd. Melbourne, Fl 32904
If we don’t answer we are with a client. We return text messages usually within an hour.
