Overactive Pelvic Floor is the latest terminology used to describe a hypertonic pelvic floor, in which the pelvic floor muscles do not relax and instead stay in a tight or gripping contracted state.
As mentioned in Pelvic Floor 101: Part 2, when our pelvic floor isn’t doing its job or is causing pain, it is called Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. And it comes with a variety of issues, including Hypertonic muscles or overactive muscles.
Overactive or Hypertonic Pelvic Floor
This is a result of the body continually contracting and tightening the muscles of the pelvic floor. Please be aware: A TIGHT FLOOR IS NOT A STRONG FLOOR. It must be relaxed and released and THEN strengthened to work properly.
Some symptoms of an Overactive Pelvic Floor are the same as with a Hypertonic Floor and can include:
- Frequent urination,
- Feeling like you aren’t going to make it to the bathroom in time (urge incontinence),
- Painful urination,
- Feeling like you have to force urination,
- Leaking (incontinence of either/both urine and stool),
- Constipation (straining hard to pass a bowel movement),
- Pain in the pelvic region,
- Pain during sex,
- The inability to insert a tampon or have sex,
- Unexplained back pain and/or leg pain.
This is not an exhaustive list. Many people with overactive pelvic floor muscles only experience some of the symptoms above, and some experience their own symptoms not listed.
