I recently read the results of an interesting study conducted by Queensland physios, and thought to share it with you. The article was printed in the Australian Journal of Physiotherapy in 2006 and authored by physiotherapists Sapsford, Richardson and Stanton.
This simple study looked at the pelvic floor activity in 6 healthy women in 3 different seated postures- slumped supported sitting, upright unsupported sitting and “very tall” unsupported sitting (much the same as Fix’s “active sitting” that you all know).
As you know, the pelvic floor is the sling that supports your abdominal and pelvic organs, contributing to continence, anti-gravity support of the organs, sexual function and lumbo-pelvic stability.
This study showed that the pelvic floor activity significantly increases with more upright postures. The mean pelvic floor muscular activity was recorded at 7% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for the slumped supported sit, 12%MVC for the unsupported upright sit and 24%MVC in the “active sit”.
So everybody - sit tall “actively” in neutral twice per day for up to 10 minutes and your pelvic floor will only be getting stronger for each and every one of its very important functions. And without you even having to think too much about it!
I thought that this would be a great opportunity to show an image of the pelvic floor for you to visualise what things really look like "down there." Remember that each sex looks a little different, but this image below is a fantastic one viewed from above and looking into the pelvic cavity. You will notice the pubic bone at the fore of the image and the sacrum/tailbone at the rear. Note the "sling-like" appearance of the pelvic floor musculature and now understand how, if toned and strong, offers support to your back, pelvis and pelvic organs in an upward direction.
