The “Pregnancy Walk”: How This Impacts Your Pelvic Floor
Are you currently pregnant, have been pregnant, or have ever seen a pregnant lady walk and noticed both feet turned outward and an increase sway side to side with walking?
Some call this a “waddle”....this feels like a harsh term to me, but provides a visual for sure.
This post is dedicated in describing why this pattern might occur and how it impacts the pelvic floor. Additionally, there are some exercise ideas to incorporate to help regain mobility in the pelvis.
First, why does this pattern develop? As pregnancy progresses and the baby gets bigger, oftentimes, women start to naturally lean backwards to help balance the increase in weight in their front. Also during this time, women may start to turn their feet outwards as both a natural consequence of the pelvis becoming “more open” to accommodate the growing baby and uterus and to help increase their base of support for balance. Most of the time, this is subconscious and happens so gradually (just like the baby growing) that most women don’t realize it’s happening until its been going on for a while.
In this leaned back posture with the front of the pelvis angled more open, this places the glutes in a prime location to become short and tight. Not only will the glutes become short and tight, but the back side of the pelvic floor can become shorter and tighter as well.
For reference, in a previous blog post, I described in video how the pelvic floor lives in the cage of the pelvis and how the position of the pelvis itself can impact the pelvic floor muscles. Check out this link for a refresher if needed.
Why is this important to address during pregnancy? Well, as described in the video below, being able to stretch the muscles in the posterior (back half) of the pelvic floor is crucial during labor and delivery. The vaginal opening sits in the front half of the pelvic floor. There just isn’t anatomically much space for the vaginal opening to stretch anteriorly (towards the front) as there just isn’t much room. The back half of the pelvic floor has to stretch in order for the baby to pass through the birth canal. This is the only place for the majority of stretch to happen! This is also the direction that tearing typically occurs.
If the back half of the pelvic floor becomes tight during pregnancy and is aided by the way you are walking, this could make it more challenging for your body to relax and stretch into this region during delivery. Thus, if you notice you are “waddling” during pregnancy, address this early!
Ideas to help address this:
Throughout the day, if you notice you are leaning your shoulders behind the line of your hips, be intentional by bringing them forward. Think stacking your ribs over your hips.
When walking, if you notice you are walking with your feet turned outward and swaying more side to side than typical, try to bring your feet more neutral.
Work on engaging your abdominals during heavier activities or activities when you are on your feet more. Sometimes a good cue is “draw baby to spine”
Try out some of the exercise videos below. If you are having any pelvic discomfort/pain, stop and consult a professional
As always... don’t be afraid to seek out a pelvic floor therapist for consultation and treatment 😀
Place 1 knee on a yoga block. Gently engage abdominals (think bringing baby to spine) and lean back towards your heels
Place 1 knee on a yoga block and shift side to side. Again, gently engage abdominals throughout
Place 1 knee on a yoga block, gently engage abdominals and lift your opposite hip straight up towards the ceiling.
If you found this post helpful, please comment and share with others as I love educating the community!
Keep following along for tips, trick, and pelvic floor tidbits.