Why Foot Position Could Be the Key to Relieving Your Pelvic Floor Issues

This week on the Sheela blog we’re delving a little deeper into how we can tweak our posture to support our pelvic floor function. 

We’ve already looked at posture in a general sense (you’ll find that blog here). Now it’s time to build a healthy stance from the ground up. 

I had an amazing movement teacher at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where I studied opera. Her classes were one of my favourites and I was always amazed how big an impact general movement had on my singing. It was a brilliant reminder of how everything in our bodies is connected and we can achieve big changes more easily if we treat the body as a whole. 

One of the most memorable lessons we had was on the feet. ‘Everyone always forgets about the feet!’ she yelled as she walked us through an hour of bizarre foot contortions. 

Now I’m not going to put you through some ballet based foot stretches but I do want to show you how your pelvic floor function is directly related to your feet.

By making minor adjustments in how you place your feet and use your foot muscles, you can help ensure your pelvic floor is working properly.

It’s all connected

Your feet are directly connected to your pelvic floor, diaphragm and your deep core muscles (transverse abdominis) through the deep front fascial line. The fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that keeps every bone, organ, blood vessel, nerve and muscle in place throughout our bodies.  

This means that how your feet are positioned and the way they move has a direct relationship to how your pelvic floor functions. 

The position of your ankle will influence the tilt of your pelvis. As we learned in our blog about posture, the tilt of your pelvis will determine whether your pelvic floor muscles are under tension, neutral (responsive) or harder to contract (loose). Having your heels significantly higher than your toes (i.e. wearing high heels or wedges) will make your pelvis tilt forward (anterior pelvic tilt) which stresses the pelvic floor muscles and can lead to weakness over time. 

Feel the connection

You can feel this connection pretty clearly if you look at your own foot position.

When standing, place your feet hip width apart. The outside edges of your feet should be parallel and straight. Balance the weight of your foot in a triangle between the centre of your heel and the ball of your foot under your big toe and your little toe. Your knee should be in alignment - this means as you bend your knee it should move forward over your toes. 

Experiment by moving your weight forward onto your toes so your heels lift up: what happens to your pelvis? Can you do a pelvic floor contraction in this position?

What happens when you move your weight back into your heels? Where is your pelvis now? 

Optimum foot position

To find the optimum position for your feet when standing, stand with your feet parallel and hip width apart with your weight balanced. Make sure your knees are aligned, your hips are over your knees and ankles and your pelvis is aligned. 

The position of the arches of the feet also directly affects pelvic floor function. 

Flat feet or fallen arches (overpronation) can cause the ankles to roll inwards which can lead to misalignment of the pelvis whereas excessively high arches (underpronation) can result in a rigid foot which doesn’t absorb shock well thereby putting stress on the hips and pelvic floor muscles. Having naturally low or high arches isn't an issue - just be mindful if the ankle is rotating and that is having an impact on the knees, hips and pelvis too. 

Roll your ankles in and out until you find a neutral position for your arch. Is this different to how you usually hold your feet? Do you need additional support to stay like this comfortably?

Your foot position will also be important when you are doing squats - the wider the stance, the more stretch on the pelvic floor. Start with a hip width apart stance and only widen it if you are confident you can achieve a pelvic floor contraction on the way back up. 

Top Tips to improve foot position and support pelvic floor health

1. Choose a shoe with a supportive sole, arch support and with the heel about 1cm higher than the toes. Good running shoes tend to get this right. You don’t need to wear these all the time but make them your default.
2. Don’t spend all your time at home barefoot or in slippers. Wear supportive trainers to keep your arches in the right position and take pressure off your joints when moving around your house. 
3. Check in with your foot and pelvis position whenever you find yourself standing throughout the day - doing the dishes, waiting for the bus, making a cup of tea. The more aware you are the easier it is to make minor adjustments.
4. Be mindful of your foot position when exercising - especially when squatting and lifting weights. Any movement where you are stretching and contracting the pelvic floor will be more beneficial if your feet and pelvis are in alignment.

If you’re someone who has some niggling pelvic floor issues and you also have foot pain or worries about the joints in your feet, then a podiatrist or physiotherapist will be able to assess you and suggest some supports which can help such as exercises or insoles. 

 For more content like this including How To videos and bite sized advice, follow us on Instagram (@sheela.ie) and YouTube (@sheelawomen). 

Lastly, if there is a woman out there you think might need to hear any of this, please share. Too many women are suffering in silence. Pelvic floor issues are preventable, manageable and treatable at any age.