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Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
Can Pelvic Floor Tension Spread to Your Head?
Everywhere you turn, it seems like there’s something new to know about the pelvic floor. Whether that’s healthy peeing tips or the fact that not everyone needs to do Kegels, there are often surprises. Fortunately or unfortunately, there’s another thing to add to this list: Pelvic floor tension can contribute to headaches. But don’t worry. This isn’t a pelvic floor riddle for you to untangle on your own. We asked Heather Jeffcoat DPT, pelvic floor physical therapist, author, and owner of FeminaPT to break down the connection.
Let’s start with some basics. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit like a hammock in your pelvis, supporting your organs and controlling reflexes like peeing, pooping, and orgasming. The muscle group also works to help stabilize your core and assists with breathing and circulation. That said, pelvic floor tension, weakness, and looseness are fairly common issues, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Pelvic floor tension occurs when your muscles are chronically tight, potentially impeding bladder and bowel control and sometimes causing painful sex for people with vaginas, the Cleveland Clinic says. It's complex and it's often hard to pin down the direct cause, but reasons can range from core weakness, improper posture or breathing, trauma like birth, prolapse, or simply inherited disposition, Dr. Jeffcoat says.
How are headaches connected to pelvic floor tension
The most frequent type of headache you might experience is a tension headache, which is a dull, painful headache that often feels like a band tightening around the skull, the Mayo Clinic explains. These headaches have their origin near the neck, in the cervical spine region: Your neck muscles tense and pull on the shorter fascial tissue that connects to your forehead muscles, creating a classic tension headache, the Mayo Clinic explains.
To learn moure about the connection between pelvic floor tension and frequent headaches, continue to the full article here.
