The Woven Journal

GLP-1s affect on the pelvic floor and what you should do to address it.

Pelvic floor therapy (PFT) is a specialized form of physical therapy that focuses on the muscles, connective tissue, and neurovascular structures of the pelvic region.

Prenatal pelvic floor PT is a comprehensive evaluation and treatment of the whole system: the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue, the core, the hips, the thoracic spine, the breath.

Your pelvic floor is not an isolated set of muscles. It is part of an integrated system that includes your uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, bowel, diaphragm, and deep core.

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus.

Your rectus abdominis, the "six-pack" muscle, runs in two columns down the front of your abdomen, connected in the middle by a band of connective tissue called the linea alba.

The "no crunches" rule came from a reasonable place. Research on DRA and intra-abdominal pressure management led to guidelines suggesting that certain exercises could worsen separation or impair healing by increasing pressure in ways the healing linea alba wasn't ready to manage.

Your pelvic floor muscles don't just support your bladder and uterus. They also wrap around your rectum, and they play a direct role in whether you can effectively and comfortably empty your bowels.

Diastasis recti (DRA) is a widening of the inter-recti distance, the gap between the two columns of your rectus abdominis muscle. During and after pregnancy, the connective tissue that runs between them (the linea alba) stretches.