The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that should contract, relax, lengthen, and coordinate with your breath and core. 'Just do kegels' is the pelvic health version of 'just do crunches' — sometimes helpful, often the wrong tool, and occasionally making things worse.
Myth #1: Leaking is normal after kids
Common, yes. Normal, no. Leaking — even a little, even just when you sneeze or run — is a sign your pelvic floor isn't managing pressure well. It's highly treatable, often without surgery or medication.
Myth #2: A strong pelvic floor = a tight pelvic floor
A muscle that can't relax can't generate full strength. Many people with leaking, pain with sex, urgency, or constipation actually have a pelvic floor that's stuck 'on' — and more kegels make it worse. Lengthening comes first.
Myth #3: Kegels fix everything
- Up to 50% of people do kegels incorrectly when given only verbal cues.
- Kegels don't address breath, core, hips, or how you actually move through your day.
- If kegels haven't worked, the answer isn't 'more' — it's an assessment.
Myth #4: You only need pelvic floor therapy if you've had a baby
Pelvic floor dysfunction happens in athletes, runners, dancers, postmenopausal women, people with chronic constipation, and folks recovering from abdominal surgery. Babies just make it more common.
Myth #5: It'll get better on its own
Some things do. Most don't. Symptoms that have been around more than 3–6 months almost always need targeted rehab to fully resolve.
What actually helps
- Breath: learn 360° diaphragmatic breathing first. It's the foundation of pelvic floor coordination.
- Mobility: open up hips, ankles, and mid-back — tightness above and below pulls on the pelvic floor.
- Strength: full-body, especially glutes, deep core, and adductors.
- Down-training: stretches, breath work, and soft-tissue work to teach the floor to relax.
- Behavior: don't pee 'just in case,' don't push to poop, stack ribs over hips.
Signs you'd benefit from an assessment
- Leaking of urine, gas, or stool — any amount.
- Urgency, frequency, or trouble fully emptying.
- Pain with sex, tampons, or pelvic exams.
- Heaviness, bulging, or pressure in the pelvis.
- Persistent low back, hip, or tailbone pain.
Pelvic floor & postpartum OT in Basking Ridge, NJ
Modern Movement is a women's health and orthopedic occupational therapy practice based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, serving moms across Somerset County — including Bernardsville, Bedminster, Far Hills, Warren, Bridgewater, Martinsville, Gladstone, and the surrounding Somerset Hills. We work with pregnant and postpartum women on pelvic floor health, diastasis recti, core recovery, low back & hip pain, and return-to-running — in person, one-on-one, for a full hour.
Want a plan built around you?
Book a 1:1 session with Amanda in Basking Ridge for a personalized assessment.