Is My Hip Pain Coming From My Pelvic Floor?

Hip pain can be debilitating; it can affect both our mobility and overall quality of life. While many factors can contribute to hip pain such as a labral tear, muscle injury or joint injury; one area that may be overlooked is the relationship between the hip and the pelvic floor muscles!

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles and connective tissue that form a hammock-like structure at the base of the pelvis. These muscles help provide support to the pelvic organs (bowel, bladder, uterus) as well as play a crucial role in various bodily functions such as controlling bowel and bladder habits. Lastly, the pelvic floor muscles provide stability to the pelvis by working with the muscles of the hip and trunk; in order for our bodies to move efficiently these 3 muscle groups should all be working together. Each muscle group should be both strong and flexible, if there is an imbalance in one of these areas it can eventually lead to dysfunction and pain. 

The Hip and Pelvic Floor Anatomy

When you think of the hip muscles many people might think of the larger outer muscles first like the glutes or hip flexors, but we actually have many small muscles surrounding our hip joint! The obturator internus (OI) is one of 6 hip rotator muscles that has a direct connection to the pelvic floor and hip. The OI muscle acts as an important stabilizer to the pelvic floor and can often be a common cause of both pelvic floor dysfunction and hip pain. Another more commonly known hip rotator is the piriformis muscle, weakness or tightness of this muscle can cause hip pain pain, low back pain or even sciatic pain. 

How Can PT Help?

It can be a bit tricky to determine if hip pain was caused by pelvic floor dysfunction or vice versa. A trained pelvic floor physical therapist can help identify and address specific issues within both the pelvic floor and hip muscles. Your physical therapist will assess your posture, alignment, muscle strength, flexibility and overall function of the muscles to help determine the exact cause of your pain.