Pelvic Floor Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues located between the tailbone (coccyx) and the pubic bone within the pelvis. These muscles play a vital role in bladder, bowel, and sexual function for people living in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan.

Because Grand Rapids residents experience cold, icy winters, heavy lifting (like shoveling snow), chronic coughing from winter respiratory infections, and reduced physical activity can all impact pelvic floor health. Understanding how your pelvic floor works is an important step in preventing long-term problems.

What Do the Pelvic Floor Muscles Do?

Support for Your Pelvic Organs

The pelvic floor muscles form a supportive “hammock” that holds up your:

  • Bladder
  • Bowel (rectum)
  • Uterus and vagina (in females)
  • Prostate (in males)

Muscular bands called sphincters encircle the urethra, vagina, and anus as they pass through the pelvic floor. When the pelvic floor muscles contract:

  • The internal organs are lifted
  • The sphincters tighten the openings of the urethra, vagina, and anus

When the pelvic floor muscles relax, urine and stool can pass more easily.

Role in Bladder and Bowel Control

Well-functioning pelvic floor muscles help you:

  • Hold urine and stool until you reach a toilet
  • Prevent leakage when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise
  • Control the passage of gas (wind)

If these muscles are weak or not coordinating properly, you may:

  • Leak urine (urinary incontinence)
  • Leak stool or gas (anal incontinence)
  • Feel you cannot fully control your bladder or bowel

These are common issues seen in Grand Rapids primary care and urology clinics, especially among older adults and people who have given birth.

Role in Sexual Function

The pelvic floor is also very important for sexual health. A coordinated pattern of relaxation and contraction can:

  • Improve arousal and orgasm
  • Increase vaginal sensation
  • Reduce pain with sex

If the pelvic floor muscles are weak, tight, or overactive, you may notice:

  • Vulval pain
  • Pain with sex
  • Inability to orgasm
  • Reduced vaginal sensation

These concerns can be evaluated and treated by pelvic health specialists in Grand Rapids, including providers at Spectrum Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, and Mercy Health.

Causes of Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction

Pelvic floor problems are common and can affect people of all ages in West Michigan. Factors that can weaken or strain the pelvic floor include:

  • Pregnancy and vaginal childbirth (overstretching or injury to the muscles)
  • Prostate cancer treatment in males, including surgery or radiation
  • Pelvic surgery that involves cutting or disturbing the pelvic floor muscles
  • Obesity, which increases pressure on the pelvic organs
  • Chronic constipation and straining to have a bowel movement
  • Constant coughing, including from smoking, asthma, or winter respiratory infections
  • Lower levels of estrogen after menopause, which can affect muscle and tissue tone
  • Pelvic floor muscle tension from painful periods, endometriosis, or chronic pelvic pain

In Grand Rapids, seasonal factors like winter colds and flu, as well as less physical activity during cold months, can contribute to weight gain and chronic coughing, both of which may affect pelvic floor health.

What Is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

When the pelvic floor is very weak, the organs it supports (such as the bladder, uterus, or bowel) can slide downward into the vaginal space. This is called a prolapse.

Common Symptoms of Prolapse

  • A distinct bulge in the vagina
  • A feeling of heaviness or dragging in the pelvis or lower back
  • A sensation of heaviness in the vagina
  • Deep vaginal aching
  • Tampons that dislodge or fall out

If you notice these symptoms in Grand Rapids, talk with your primary care provider, OB/GYN, or a pelvic floor physical therapist. Early treatment may prevent the need for surgery.

Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction can present with a range of symptoms. You may notice one or several of the following:

  • Leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing, running, or lifting
  • Not reaching the toilet in time (urgency or urge incontinence)
  • Passing wind from the anus or vagina when bending over or lifting
  • Reduced sensation in the vagina
  • Tampons that move or fall out
  • A bulge at the vaginal opening
  • A feeling of heaviness or dragging in the pelvis or lower back
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections
  • Recurrent vaginal thrush
  • Vulval pain, pain with sex, or inability to orgasm

If you live in Grand Rapids and have these symptoms, they are common but not “just part of getting older” or something you must live with. Treatment options are available locally.

How to Familiarize Yourself with Your Pelvic Floor

Learning to identify your pelvic floor muscles is the first step in doing pelvic floor exercises correctly.

How to Find the Sphincter Muscles

Try these techniques (but do not repeatedly stop urine midstream as an exercise):

  • Imagine you are passing urine and try to stop the flow (only as a one-time test, not a regular habit)
  • Pretend you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind and squeeze tightly

You should feel a gentle “lift and squeeze” around the front (urethra), middle (vagina, if you have one), and back (anus).

Vaginal Check (for those with a vagina)

  • Wash your hands
  • Gently insert one or two fingers into your vagina
  • Try to squeeze your fingers by tightening the pelvic floor muscles

You should feel a gentle tightening and lift around your fingers.

Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels) for Grand Rapids Residents

Pelvic floor exercises, often called Kegels, are designed to:

  • Improve muscle tone and strength
  • Enhance your brain’s connection to these muscles
  • Improve bladder, bowel, and sexual function
  • Potentially reduce the need for corrective surgery

You can do these exercises lying down, sitting, or standing—which makes them easy to fit into a busy lifestyle, whether you’re at home, at work downtown, or commuting across the Grand Rapids metro area.

Before You Start

  • Direct your attention to your pelvic floor muscles
  • Try to relax your abdominal muscles
  • Do not hold your breath; breathe normally
  • Gradually lift and squeeze your pelvic floor as if you are:
    • Stopping the flow of urine
    • Stopping wind from escaping

Then release gently and slowly.

Step-by-Step Pelvic Floor Exercise Routine

1. Slow Squeezes

  1. Gently squeeze and lift the pelvic floor muscles.
  2. Hold firmly for 5 seconds, building up to 10 seconds as you get stronger.
  3. Keep breathing normally while you hold.
  4. Release slowly and fully.
  5. Rest for 5–10 seconds between each contraction.
  6. Repeat up to 10 times.

2. Quick Squeezes

  1. Perform a quick, short, strong squeeze and lift.
  2. Release fully each time.
  3. Repeat 10 times.

Aim for:

  • 5–6 sessions per day while you are learning
  • Once you are confident and consistent, 3 sessions per day is usually enough

Always focus on a full release after each contraction. The pelvic floor muscles are circular; it can help to imagine ripples in a pond, feeling the muscles soften and open as they relax.

Everyday Pelvic Floor Protection

Use your pelvic floor during daily activities, especially during Grand Rapids’ cough-heavy winter season:

  • Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor just before and during:
    • Coughing
    • Sneezing
    • Laughing
    • Lifting heavy objects (including snow shovels)

This helps protect your pelvic floor from sudden pressure.

When Pelvic Floor Muscles Are Weak but Overactive

Sometimes pelvic floor muscles are both weak and overactive (working too hard). This can cause:

  • Painful sex
  • Vulval pain
  • Reduced bladder control

In these cases, treatment focuses on:

  • Learning to relax the pelvic floor
  • Gentle stretching and breathing exercises
  • Guided therapy with a pelvic health physiotherapist

This is especially important to address with a trained professional in Grand Rapids, as doing only “strengthening” without addressing tension can sometimes worsen symptoms.

Improving and Protecting Your Pelvic Floor in Grand Rapids

Along with exercises, you can support your pelvic floor health by:

  • Losing excess body fat if you are overweight (with guidance from your doctor)
  • Preventing constipation by:
    • Eating more fruit and vegetables
    • Increasing dietary fiber (whole grains, beans, legumes)
    • Drinking enough water—especially important during dry, heated indoor winters
  • Seeking medical attention for a chronic cough
  • Avoiding heavy lifting when possible, or using correct lifting techniques
  • Quitting smoking, which can reduce chronic coughing and improve tissue health

These lifestyle changes are commonly recommended by healthcare providers in West Michigan and can make a meaningful difference in symptoms.

Getting Help for Pelvic Floor Problems in Grand Rapids, MI

If you do not notice improvement after 4–5 weeks of regular pelvic floor exercises—or if your symptoms are severe—seek professional help.

Local Professionals Who Can Help

  • Your GP / Primary Care Provider

    • Can assess your symptoms
    • Rule out other conditions
    • Refer you to a pelvic health physical therapist or specialist

  • Pelvic Health Physical Therapists (Pelvic Floor PT)

    • These are licensed physical therapists with extra training in pelvic floor conditions.
    • You can find them through:
      • Spectrum Health
      • Trinity Health Grand Rapids
      • Metro Health
      • Mercy Health
      • Independent physical therapy clinics in the Grand Rapids area

  • Urologists and Urogynecologists

    • For complex bladder, prolapse, or pelvic pain issues

  • Kent County Health Department & Grand Rapids Public Health Resources

    • May offer information on continence, sexual health, and local support services

If you’re unsure where to start, your primary care clinic or OB/GYN in Grand Rapids can direct you to a trusted pelvic floor specialist.

Key Points About Pelvic Floor Health in Grand Rapids

  • Pelvic floor exercises may prevent the need for corrective surgery in some cases.
  • Symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction can include vulval pain, pain with sex, and inability to orgasm.
  • Weak pelvic floor muscles can cause sexual difficulties, such as reduced vaginal sensation.
  • A distinct bulge in the vagina and deep vaginal aching are common symptoms of prolapse.
  • It is very important to perform pelvic floor exercises correctly—consult a pelvic health physiotherapist, doctor, or continence advisor if you are unsure.

Pelvic floor issues are common among Grand Rapids residents, but they are treatable. With the right exercises, lifestyle changes, and local professional support, most people can significantly improve their symptoms and quality of life.