Could Your Pelvic Floor Be Causing Your Chronic Back & Hip Pain?

If you’ve been stretching, strengthening, and trying every pain relief method under the sun, but your back and hip pain won’t go away, your pelvic floor could be the missing piece.

Most people don’t think about the pelvic floor’s role in stability and movement, but these deep muscles support your spine, hips, and core.

When they aren’t functioning properly—whether too tight, too weak, or uncoordinated—your body compensates, leading to persistent pain that just won’t quit.

8 Signs Your Pelvic Floor is Contributing to Your Pain

🔳 You have nagging lower back, sacroiliac (SI) joint, or deep hip pain.

🔳 Your core feels weak, or you struggle to "activate" it properly.

🔳 Your hip muscles always feel tight, even after stretching.

🔳 You have deep glute or sciatic-like pain that won’t resolve.

🔳 You feel more pain after sitting for long periods.

🔳 You experience bladder leaks, urgency, or frequent trips to the bathroom.

🔳 Sex is painful or causes discomfort afterward.

🔳 You’ve had a baby, pelvic surgery, or injury and can’t seem to regain strength.

If you nodded your head to any of these, your pelvic floor might be working against you!

Why Your Pelvic Floor Affects Back & Hip Pain

Your pelvic floor isn’t just about bladder control—it’s part of your deep core system.

It works with your diaphragm, abdominals, and spinal muscles to stabilize your pelvis and spine.

When the pelvic floor isn’t functioning properly, it creates imbalances that lead to:

🔹 Increased muscle tension – A tight pelvic floor pulls on your hips and lower back, creating stiffness and pain.

🔹 Weakened core – A weak pelvic floor forces other muscles (like your back) to work overtime.

🔹 Limited hip mobility – Your pelvic floor connects to your deep hip rotators, affecting movement and flexibility.

🔹 Nerve irritation – Pelvic dysfunction can trigger sciatic-like symptoms or deep hip pain.

What Can You Do?

If your pelvic floor is part of the problem, traditional back or hip treatments likely won’t fix it.

Instead, focus on restoring balance with these simple adjustments:

Fix Your Posture

Shift your weight slightly forward to align your ribcage over your pelvis for better core connection and decreased pressure on your back.

Stop Sucking in Your Abs

Allow your belly to relax instead of holding tension all day- they are not designed to be tense all day. This tension also increases pressure on your pelvic floor and can worsen your symptoms.

Breathe Better

Exhale as you move (e.g., standing up, lifting, or exercising) to reduce strain on your pelvic floor and to allow your core to coordinate better

Work on Hip Mobility

Incorporate hip stretches and exercises into your routine to improve hip flexibility, strength and pelvic floor relaxation. Try 1 minute of squats every hour while at work.

Learn to Contract & Relax Your Pelvic Floor

Get assessed by a pelvic floor PT to ensure you're engaging and relaxing your pelvic muscles correctly because often we are doing these incorrectly!

If back and hip pain isn’t going away, it might not be your muscles, joints, or nerves—it might be your pelvic floor. Addressing pelvic dysfunction can be the key to unlocking real, lasting relief.

Need help? A pelvic floor PT can assess what’s really going on and help you move better, feel stronger, and finally get rid of pain.

Struggling with pain?

Let’s get to the root of it.

💜