How You Sit and Stand is the Foundation of Pelvic Floor Health

Julia Piazza
Jun 7
3 min read

How You Sit and Stand: The Foundation of Pelvic Floor Health

Pelvic floor health is integral to a woman’s overall well-being, yet it often goes unnoticed until issues like incontinence, pelvic pain, or prolapse demand attention. One of the most critical yet frequently overlooked contributors to pelvic floor function is body alignment. The way you sit, stand, and move throughout your daily life can either support your pelvic floor muscles or lead to dysfunction.

For many, the term pelvic floor might be unfamiliar. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues stretching from the pubic bone to the tailbone and hip to hip. Often referred to as a “hammock” or “bowl” of muscles, it supports vital organs like the uterus, bladder, and rectum. Proper body alignment ensures these muscles and organs function optimally.

It might sound too simple to believe, but correcting posture can significantly improve pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms. In my practice, I’ve seen women experience relief from incontinence, pelvic pain, and discomfort during sex by retraining their body alignment. Poor posture—such as slouching into the ribs, allowing the head to jut forward, and rounding the shoulders—places chronic stress on the pelvic floor. When the pelvis isn’t in a neutral position, whether in a posterior tilt (tailbone tucked forward) or an anterior tilt (exaggerated lower back arch), it causes the pelvic floor muscles to become either short and tight, rendering them weak, or overstretched, making them unable to engage as needed.

The pelvic floor is intricately connected to the body’s deep core system, which includes the diaphragm, transverse abdominis muscles, and multifidus muscles. Together, these core muscles and the pelvic floor manage intra-abdominal pressure. Optimal body alignment harmonizes this system. When the spine and pelvis are in a neutral position, breathing improves, and the pelvic floor can release and engage effectively—for example, when sneezing, your pelvic floor muscles instinctively engage to prevent accidents. Poor posture disrupts this delicate balance, leading to dysfunction over time.

Learning optimal pelvic floor posture can:

Reduce urinary incontinence and the risk of pelvic organ prolapse.
Support healing after childbirth.
Enhance sexual pleasure and alleviate pelvic pain.
Strengthen the core and improve breathing.

Pelvic Floor Foundations: Body Alignment Tips

Start with your feet hip-width apart and lift through your belly to the crown of your head. Imagine your belly button lengthening toward the sky, but avoid pulling it toward your spine, which can create a posterior pelvic tilt.
Adjust your sacrum so it aligns directly over your heels, creating a neutral pelvis.
Gently soften your shoulders down your back by rolling them a few times forward and then backward.
Align your head by lengthening the back of your neck, as though eavesdropping on someone behind you.
Relax your jaw and take a deep inhale, letting the breath flow into your ribs and allowing your belly to rise gently. Exhale softly and fully.
When seated, follow the above tips while focusing on sitting evenly on your “sit bones” without tucking them under you.

The health and vitality of your pelvic floor are deeply influenced by your body alignment. Bringing awareness to how you move throughout your day can significantly enhance pelvic floor function and promote an overall sense of well-being.

References

Bo, K., & Frawley, H.C. (2010). Pelvic floor dysfunction and its relationship to core stability. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 18(3), 132-137. [REF0](Https://doi.org/10.1179/106698110x12640740712542)

Sapsford, R., & Hodges, P. W. (2001). Contraction of the pelvic floor muscles during abdominal maneuvers. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 82(8), 1081-1088.