Effects of Muscle Weakness on Pelvic Floor Health

Runners are famous for having the following characteristics: weak back and buttocks, or in some cases, weak hips and “sleeping” buttocks, yes, lazy buttocks. Since everything in the body is connected, poorly functioning hips and glutes can pelvic floor It may expose you to overuse and injury. So what does this mean? Why should we care?

I spoke with a pelvic floor physical therapist. Madeline Urban, DPTand Kaley Shimmerman, PT, DPTto better understand the relationship between the buttocks and pelvic floor so you can get the most out of both muscle groups.

First, an overview of the pelvic floor

of pelvic floor It’s a group of muscles at the base of the pelvic girdle, explains Urban, a board-certified female clinical expert and adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins University Women’s Health Physical Therapy Residency. “That’s just your floor.” corebut also [plays a role] in the whole respiratory system,” she says.

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The pelvic floor not only comprises important muscles that play a role in pressure regulation. lower back painhernias, and urinary incontinence—actually hold According to Urban, it’s the pelvic floor organs, including the uterus (in women), the bladder, and the rectum.

“These muscles also play a big role in regulation and control.” [of the urinary tract/bowels]sexual function, and stable,” she says.

Let alone running, activities on one legThat means your pelvic floor muscles and the glutes and glutes that connect to them need to be strong and activated to offset the pressure from the downward motion of running, says Urban. “Otherwise, the pressure regulation would fall apart and you would have problems at that point,” she says. “The global term is pelvic floor dysfunction”

Why Glute Strength is Important for Pelvic Floor Health

There are three muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Urban explains that while minimums are important, runners rely heavily on maximums and mids. Power and stable for their sport.

“Our glutes are Power Not just for running, but for hip and pelvic girdle stability,” she says. “It’s a unique group of muscles. They’re big, they create power and speed, but they’re small enough to span one joint. [the SI joint which links the pelvis and lower spine]”

Not only do the gluteus maximus share attachment points with the pelvic floor of the sacrum and tailbone, but both muscles must work together and there must be balance between the two, Urban says. “The glutes work to extend the tailbone, and the pelvic floor flexes the tailbone,” she added. “They have to bear their own weight. One cannot be underestimated and the other overworked.”

The gluteus medius lies near a deep hip muscle called the obturator internus, which attaches directly to the pelvic floor and acts as the external rotator of the hip. If the obturator internus muscle isn’t turned on correctly (more on this later) or is overstretched, it can overstretch the pelvic floor.When this happens, your knees They may congregate while running. Colloquially called “Knockney”.

“There are also studies on gluteus medius muscle strength And stress incontinence,” Urban says. “It’s correlation, not causation, but the stronger the muscles, the less stress incontinence.”

for example, 2020 survey Published in Journal of Chiropractic and Physiotherapeutic Science discovered by practitioners pelvic floor muscle strengthening exercisesgluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus exercises, plus hip adductor (Inner thigh) muscles are strengthened, reducing the daily stress incontinence experience.

The simplest explanation, says Urban, is that weak hips overwork the pelvic floor. “and it is intention I’m overworked,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean it will do the job well.”

Urban points out that postpartum runner The pelvic floor is already stretched from 9 months of age pregnancy, followed by labor and childbirth. “Muscles have a hard time responding to impact [from running] It’s to offset pressure, maintain bowel and bladder control, and support the organs in your pelvic floor,” she says.

for postpartum Shimmerman, founder and owner of a Tampa Bay-based sporting goods store, explains that it can be more pronounced in runners if their glutes are weak or inactive. The Hope Doctors. For nine months, the baby grows and occupies all the space in the female’s abdomen. “This lengthens her abs, increases the bend in her lower back, and stretches her glutes,” she explains. “That makes it hard to feel buttock activationto set the buttocks on fire [during exercise]”

After giving birth, the gluteal muscles may remain stretched and weak. “When you have a weakness somewhere, you have to make up for it elsewhere,” Shimmerman says.

The bottom line: Runners, especially those who have given birth, often have weak or inactive glutes that overwork the already stressed pelvic floor, leading to pelvic floor dysfunction and other symptoms. can cause it. running related injuries.

The difference between weak glutes and sleeping glutes

Before You Jump into Your 1,000 Routines one leg squat to enhance your abilities buttock strengthmay be due to sleeping or inactive gluteal muscles, requiring simple rejuvenating exercises.

“Weak muscles are muscles that you don’t really use, and it’s hard to activate them under any circumstances,” Urban says. “Sleeping muscles may be strong, and when doing AGLute-specific exercises It works, but it may not turn on while driving. ”

In that case, your body can count on other Muscle, uh, pelvic floor, provide Power Basically, the buttocks are sleeping, so there is a sense of stability.

Shimmerman says there’s an easy way to tell if you’re asleep or if your glutes are weak. “To sleep means [the muscle] We can come back,” Shimmerman said. runner’s worldSo instead of making these muscles stronger, you just need to move them more often. “If the buttocks are asleep, it will happen the next moment. exercise. But if it’s weak, you’ll feel your glutes on the first repetition and you’ll start to realize that it’s only five or six repetitions before you feel it. tired”

She also says that if you can’t feel your muscles while exercising, exercisemay need to be repositioned or evaluated in other areas such as: ankle again feet Placement. for example, mini band Rotating your thighs while squatting will give you a better sense of what your glutes are doing.

In addition to focusing on gluteal strength and activation, Shimmerman emphasizes the importance of gluteal muscles working in the body. Full range of motion.

“Every muscle in your body needs to fully stretch and contract each time it contracts,” she says. “If you don’t train the full range of motion, you lose a lot of it.” [of training] and then injury begin. ”

For example, if you’re doing a gluteal squeeze exercise (tighten and then loosen the muscles), you’re only training one range. Cut to Run: Swing your front leg forward (completely stretch your glutes). strike Press down on the ground and then push back (contract your glutes). Therefore, you want to practice the full range of motion of your body. strength training—This is done in the exercise below.

4 exercises to activate and strengthen your glutes for a healthier pelvic floor

I know runners moan. strength training and stretch and foam rollingAlthough you can basically do anything other than running, doing these four exercises will activate and strengthen your glutes and help protect your pelvic floor.

1. Clamshell

Why it works: “I hate and love clamshell‘ says Urban. “Not very functional for running” [because you’re laying down]However, this is a very good way to increase awareness of the gluteus medius.and then reach the obturator internus muscle [hip] logic. “

How to: Lie on your left side, head over your left arm, bend your knees and hips about 45 degrees, and overlap your hips, knees, and feet. Slowly rotate your right hip outward, engage your glutes, and lift your right knee toward the ceiling to open your legs like a clamshell. Lower your hips slowly. Repeat 10 times. Then switch sides. Do 3 sets. On each leg and the final rep of the set, he holds for a minute to facilitate, Urban says. Endurance for running.

2. Standing clamshell

Why it works: “For runners, I like to get them in position quickly because that’s what works best for them,” Urban says. Standing clamshells work more effectively with the stationary leg (especially the gluteus maximus) than the active leg.

How to: Standing against a wall, step your left foot forward, place the back heel of your right foot on the wall, and walk about 12 inches away. Tuck your hips straight back, torso parallel to the floor, back flat, and shoulders back. Tap the back wall with your glutes. Squeeze your right hip, rotate your knee to the side, and open your leg like a clamshell. Repeat 10 times. Then switch sides. Do 3 sets. Hold for 1 minute on each leg and the last repetition of the set.

3. Lunge

Why it works: a lunge It’s a great way to work the muscles in your lower legs, especially your glutes, says Urban. If you don’t feel your glutes working when you lunge, start with a reverse lunge to activate your glutes, then switch to a forward lunge to mimic running, she adds.

How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step your right foot forward while keeping your left foot stationary. Bend both knees 90 degrees to him, place your right knee over your toes, and lift the back of your left knee slightly off the floor. When viewed from the side, the angle of your shins and back should be parallel lines. Push through your right heel to stand up and back down. Repeat with your left leg. Continue alternating 10 reps on each side for 3 sets, resting as needed between sets.

4. One leg rotation with ball

Why it works: Shimmerman recommends this exercise to strengthen your entire hip range of motion.

How to: Stand on your left foot so that your entire foot is on the floor. big toe, little finger, heel. Extend your right back leg and lift it off the ground behind you. Hold a small ball or yoga block in each hand and extend your arms in front of you. Rotate your standing leg down toward the outside of your ankle. Inhale as you lower your pelvis toward your standing leg. As you exhale, rotate the ball and pelvis to open the leg up. If this is too difficult, place your right toe on the ground. Repeat 10 times. Then switch sides.

freelance writer

Heather is a former food nutrition editor. runner’s worldauthor of Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, has run seven marathons and has a best time of 3 minutes and 31 seconds. But what she’s most proud of is her halves of 1h 32m, 5km 19m 44s and mile 5m 33s. her work is Boston Globe, popular mechanism, Wall Street Journal buy side, cooking lightCNN, Glamour, Associated PressLivestrong.com.