The short answer? YES. Pilates can be GREAT for your pelvic floor!
Let me ask a personal question. Has your pelvic floor been less than supportive lately?
It is, if you leak a little when you laugh, sneeze, run, or jump. It might not even be consistent; it could just be happening occasionally with a big surprise sneeze or if you yell really loudly.
Your lower back pain could be because of your pelvic floor health. Hip, knee, and shoulder issues can also be caused by a dysfunctional pelvic floor – even if you’re NOT leaking!
Did you know that you can have issues with your pelvic floor, even if you do Kegel exercises religiously?
Problems start with either end of the spectrum – weakness OR tightness.
If you’re struggling, there are things you can do right now to stop it from getting worse. Check out my pelvic floor tips to get started by stopping some of the things you might be doing that aren’t good for your pelvic floor!
But back to the question – is Pilates good for your pelvic floor?
The long answer is, yes, but only IF you’re doing the exercises correctly and managing your pelvic floor pressure! Otherwise, some of the exercises can be delaying your progress.
The key to having a supportive pelvic floor depends on what you, as an individual, need.
You might be clenching your glutes and not having any abdominal engagement. Your inner thighs might be weak. Even if your face is always jutting forward (like when you’re watching your phone…), you’re putting unnecessary strain on your pelvic floor!
It could also be because you’re freaking out and overdoing your Kegels…if you don’t relax your pelvic floor completely between contractions, you’re stressing those muscles and not balancing the strain with release.
Instead of diagnosing yourself, schedule an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist in your area! It's important to know what's really happening inside instead of guessing & possibly making things worse.
Great basic Pilates exercises that help almost anyone (and are unlikely to be a problem) are:
Shoulder Bridges or Hip Rolls (if you need inner thigh strength, use a squishy ball between your knees and magnetize your thighs while you lift your booty up for extra help!)
Single Leg Circles
Single Leg Kicks
Spine Twist
Sidekicks – front/back and small circles
Clams (not just a Pilates exercise – you know these ones!)
Finding your upper back & lower glute/hamstring connections are incredibly important to help your pelvic floor. Work with a teacher you trust to discover them, strengthen them, and recruit them consistently.
Let’s get back to life without leaking – put Pilates into your everyday, starting today!
Xo, Kimberly
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