VIDEO | Let's Talk Painful Pelvic Disparities & How to Fix Them

By: Becky Paulson, PT, DPT (left) and Zeena Dhalla, Posture Specialist (right)

What is a Pelvic Floor Disparity?

Watch the full video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3vZhbCg-5r/

When there’s a disparity, you’ll have one side of the pelvis (let’s say, the right side) that’s sitting forward, while the other (left) side might be neutral, or actually sitting back a bit. Either way, it’s an asymmetry of your pelvis from right to left.

How Do I Know if I Have a Pelvic Floor Disparity?

Visually speaking, taking posture pictures with a posture specialist (like Zeena) helps us to see the asymmetries in your pelvis from an external standpoint. For example, these photos will sometimes reveal on one side less gluteal development, and less arch in the lumbar spine. On the other side, we might see more gluteal development, and more arch in the lumbar spine. Sometimes, on the posterior side, we’ll get some knee flexion (a knee that that constantly wants to bend).

In terms of musculature, you might have a hip flexor on one side that’s weaker, or one that’s tighter.

What are the Symptoms of a Pelvic Floor Disparity?

Common symptoms of an asymmetrical pelvic floor include generalized low back pain, hip pain, and sometimes pain in the knees and ankles. Why? Because if you’re sitting in that disparity, all the muscles are impacted from the pelvis down.

What Does a Pelvic Floor Disparity Look Like Internally?

When we look at the pelvic floor musculature rotating one of these sides of the pelvis (either right or left) forward (or backward) causes the orientation of the internal pelvic floor muscles changes. This can affect one’s ability to recruit or “turn on” these pelvic floor muscles in a functional way. This can affect your ability to stay continent (bowel or bladder), to support pelvic organs (prolapse), abdominal tension throughout the pudendal nerve (feeling numbness or burning or tingling in this primary nerve which innervates the pelvic floor and the bladder).

These are all things we want to look at together when addressing pelvic floor disparity.

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms that we’ve described today, you’ll want to come see us at Sarton Physical Therapy. We work holistically - looking at the body from the inside out to help create a customized healing plan to get you out of pain. Contact us to make an appointment.

We want to encourage you to get evaluated by one of our outstanding physical therapists, and regain control of your life. Pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, back pain, tailbone pain—you name it—these conditions do not have to control your life. There is hope. Call us today to book an appointment for 1 of our 3 Southern California locations, or inquire about a virtual, online treatment session.

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