Do I Have a Weak or Tight Pelvic Floor?
When it comes to pelvic floor issues, most people think about pelvic floor weakness. In reality, most people with pelvic floor symptoms actually have a muscle imbalance that causes short and tight pelvic floor muscles. Occasionally, some women have just pelvic floor weakness—this means the muscles are underactive and aren't working well.
Ultimately, you can have a weak pelvic floor, a tight pelvic floor, or a combination of both. But how can you tell if you have a tight vs. weak pelvic floor? Here are some ways to identify the exact cause of your pelvic floor symptoms, plus steps to help you improve your pelvic floor health.
How to Tell If Your Pelvic Floor is Tight or Weak
What's the Difference Between a Tight vs Weak Pelvic Floor?
Most people with pelvic floor symptoms are dealing with muscle imbalances. Surprisingly, pelvic floor imbalances are often caused by muscles that are too short and tight—not loose. Tight muscles might sound strong, but they actually don't function well and can be weak. (I know, it sounds backwards, but it's true!)
Sometimes, your pelvic floor is simply weak—without tightness. This means the muscles are underactive and aren't working well. Ultimately, you can have a weak pelvic floor, a tight pelvic floor, or a combination of both. If your pelvic floor muscles become too tight or weak, this usually leads to issues like urinary incontinence or pelvic pain.
So, how can you tell if your pelvic floor is tight or weak? Understanding what's really going on with pelvic floor tightness or weakness is the first step. Once you know whether your muscles are tight or weak, you can take the right steps to heal and feel better.
How Does the Pelvic Floor Become Tight or Weak?
Pregnancy is a common reason women develop a weak or tight pelvic floor. As your uterus grows, your pelvic floor is under a lot of pressure. This can cause your pelvic floor muscles to stretch (weakness) or overreact (tightness). Childbirth can also further injure or stretch these muscles—including C-sections!
Other ways you can develop a tight pelvic floor include:
Involuntary tightening (or guarding) of the pelvic floor muscles to reduce pelvic pain
Continuously holding in urine or stool
Abnormal posture
Pelvic muscle injuries from childbirth or pregnancy
Stress, fear, and anxiety that contribute to pelvic floor overactivity
You can also develop a weak pelvic floor from:
Aging (like other muscles, your pelvic floor muscles can weaken with age)
Heavy lifting or running that puts too much pressure on the pelvic floor (athletes typically have weaker pelvic floors)
Pelvic muscle stretching from childbirth or pregnancy
Symptoms of a Tight vs Weak Pelvic Floor
A tight pelvic floor often increases muscle tone, which leads to pain, irritation, and leaking urine. Weakness makes it difficult to properly coordinate your muscles, often leading to leaking urine and decreased muscle tone. A pelvic physical therapist can help you identify if your pelvic floor muscles are too tight or weak. However, if you want to know if I have a tight or tight pelvic floor, there are tell-tale signs you can look for.
Signs of a Tight Pelvic Floor:
Difficulty starting your stream during urination
Spraying urine while peeing or having a wildly unpredictable stream
Dribbling after you pee or feeling like you have to pee again right after you go
Constipation and/or very skinny poops
Pain with penetration and/or tampon insertion
Throbbing of pain during or after sex
Vulvar (external pelvic floor) burning/pain
Increased UTI risk/long history of repeated UTIs (due to retention and irritation of urethra)
Leaking urine (sometimes)
Feeling like you can't relax your pelvic floor
Chronic abdominal clenching/abdominal pain
Difficulty taking a full breath in (shallow breathing pattern)
SI joint pain, tailbone (coccyx) pain, and/or hip pain
Signs of a Weak Pelvic Floor:
Leaking urine while lifting, running, jumping, coughing, laughing, or sneezing
Difficulty feeling the desired rise in the pelvic floor upon attempts to contract/perform a Kegel
Leaking gas
Decreased sensation during sex
Decreased or inability to orgasm
You have a very flat butt (healthy glutes are essential for a healthy pelvic floor)
Clenching butt muscles, inner thigh muscles, or abdominal muscles instead of your pelvic floor upon attempts to contract
What to Do If You Have a Tight Pelvic Floor
Learning to manage stress in a healthier way and supporting your nervous system can make a big difference in releasing a tight pelvic floor. Stress, fear, and anxiety can all play a big role in pelvic floor tightness. (And let's be honest, most moms are running on empty!)
We're stressed, under-resourced, not sleeping enough, skipping balanced meals, barely getting outside, and forgetting to breathe—or breathing shallow and fast without even realizing it. These daily struggles affect our pelvic floor muscles. Think about an animal that is under “attack” and tucks their tail. As humans, we tuck our tailbone and clench our pelvic floor. This stress can lead to an overactive pelvic floor.
The solution: Relaxing and releasing the pelvic floor—also known as downtraining—is key if your muscles are tight or overactive.You can't build lasting strength without first learning to relax your pelvic floor. If your symptoms get worse after doing Kegels—or if you can't fully relax after a pelvic floor contraction—these are signs that your body might not need strengthening right now.
How to Check My Pelvic Floor at Home
Not sure whether your pelvic floor is tight, weak, or a mix of both? Our free Postpartum Pelvic Floor Check-Up Guide walks you through a simple self-assessment to help you reconnect with your body, understand your symptoms, and figure out what your pelvic floor actually needs.
You'll learn how to use your breath to observe movement, what signs to look for, and the first exercises to begin restoring balance.
💌 Want the guide delivered straight to your inbox? Drop your email below, and we'll send it your way!
Urinary Incontinence Due to Tight or Weak Pelvic Floor
As we talked about earlier, someone experiencing urinary incontinence might have a tight pelvic floor, a weak one, or a combination of both. Tight pelvic floor muscles can affect how your bladder functions and lead to leaks or a sudden urge to pee. Weak pelvic floor muscles make it difficult to stop leaks or control urination.
For women dealing with urinary incontinence, the goal is simple: no leaking–whether you're jumping, running, or just sneezing. The first step? Reconnecting with your breath, pelvic floor, and core muscles. That strong, functional connection is key to stopping leaks and building lasting support. That's exactly why we created the Expecting and Empowered APP—to help women heal, rebuild, and return to full-body strength from the inside out.
JOIN THE EXPECTING AND EMPOWERED APP
Prevent pelvic floor muscle imbalances during your pregnancy and postpartum fitness journey with the E+E fitness app. Complete programs follow you along on your pregnancy journey, week by week, and help you recover in postpartum. Our workouts are targeted to help you build a strong, balanced pelvic floor to avoid pain, discomfort, and leaking caused by a tight or weak pelvic floor.
Need more help?
If you're near Hartland, WI, come see us at Empower Movement Physical Therapy—we’d love to help!
SOURCES
Culleton-Quinn E, et al. (2022). Elite female athletes' experiences of symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction: A systematic review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9477953/
Grimes WR, et al. (2023). Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559246/