Pelvic Health & Movement

The pelvic floor is part of your core, working with the deep abdominals, diaphragm and back to manage pressure every time you load your body. Under running, jumping, lifting or high-intensity training that system has to respond quickly and repeatedly — and when it cannot, symptoms tend to follow.

Leaking during a run or a lift is the sign most people recognise, but it is not the only one. Heaviness or pressure late in a session, groin, hip or low-back pain that returns whenever training volume climbs, a core that feels unsupportive under load, or holding your breath through heavy lifts are all worth assessing. None of them mean you have to stop training.

Assessment looks at the whole chain: how you breathe and manage pressure, how your ribcage, hips and pelvis move, and how the pelvic floor responds to the demands of your particular sport. Your physiotherapist then builds a plan around your real training — the loads, the schedule and the goal you are working toward.

This chapter also covers returning to sport after birth or surgery, and staying strong through menopause, when changes in tissue and bone affect how the body handles load.