Posture is something that I love to talk about because I’ve always paid attention to it. Sometimes, I’m even that annoying friend who is pointing out that you’re not sitting up straight (lol). Maintaining proper posture is extremely important for all of us to work towards. It is especially important for women when it comes to the health of our pelvic floor. In this write up, I want to talk a little bit more about the connection between our posture and pelvic floor. We’ll also discuss some things we can consider when working to improve and make changes.
WHAT IS THE PELVIC FLOOR?
Let’s first quickly go over each of these two components. We’ll start with the pelvic floor. Our pelvic floor is an interconnected web of tissues, blood vessels, muscles, tendons and ligaments that are all connected to the pelvis. They are connected to the tailbone in the back, the pubic bone in front and our “sitz” bone (a.k.a. our ischial tuberosities) on the sides.
Our pelvic floor plays several important roles within our body. This includes functions such as preventing bladder and bowel incontinence, assisting during childbirth and labor and contributing to sexual pleasure and satisfaction. Ideally, our pelvic floor prefers to remain in its neutral positioning, and when we are aware of our spinal alignment, we are better able to control this.
WHAT IS PROPER POSTURE?
When it comes to our posture, there are so many factors which make it easy for us to neglect. From our comfortable sofas and chairs to spending more time in our cars, on our cell phones and in front of computers, it’s easy for posture to slowly become compromised.
The term ‘kyphosis’ describes the excessive rounding of our back and shoulders with our pelvic floor tilting back, or posteriorly tilted. When this happens, we lose the engagement of our abdominals, our glutes become weakened, and our pelvic floor muscles are shortened. On the other hand, ‘lordosis’ refers to when our pelvic floor is anteriorly tilted or tilting forward. This causes us to flare the rib cage, excessively arch the lower back which can cause tightness and again, throws the pelvic floor out of neutral.
HOW POSTURE & PELVIC FLOOR WORK TOGETHER
When we’re in our neutral position, there is a natural curvature in our spine. Our deep abdominal muscles are actively engaged and this helps to stabilize the pelvis. We should aim to be in neutral when we are in standing, sitting and reclined positions.
Our pelvic floor functions as a part of a unit along with the transverse abdominis (the innermost abdominal muscles), the multifidus (a muscle in our back), and our diaphragm. When we are focused on improving our posture, we intentionally engage these areas of our body which ultimately allow for us to maintain a neutral positioning for the pelvic floor.
So, what can we do to ensure that we work on improving our posture? Below are some tips which can be helpful.
TIPS
- Place even weight on all edges of the feet. Notice if you have a tendency to roll onto the inner or outer edges of the feet.
- Actively engage the leg muscles when standing to assist with even weight placement.
- Maintain shoulders over the hip bones without flaring the ribcage open.
- Keep shoulders lifted and over the rib cage without shrugging the shoulders up to the ears.
- Maintain a lifted head that is not jutting forward or straining the neck.
- Maintain a neutral spine, allowing for the natural S curvature of the spine.
- Consider utilizing a pillow or cushion for the lower back when seated to reclined to prevent slouching or arching excessively.
- Aim to regularly incorporate upper body stretching. This can help to improve posture over time. Below are a couple videos to try!
Continue to sit tall, lengthen through the crown of your head, and make small changes to benefit your postural alignment.
Rashida A. Marshall, MS is the creator of AFIYA Magazine, a digital health and lifestyle publication for Black women. This creative venture grew out of her love for learning, teaching, and sharing valuable wellness information to help improve the quality of life. Rashida is also a Pilates and dance instructor specializing in women’s health.
