Originally published on February 1, 2023 by Vital Physiotherapy & Wellness, now part of the Bravella Health network. Original author: Isabella Edelshteyn.
By: Isabella Edelshteyn
If you find yourself having urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms, such as urinary frequency, an intense urge to pee, burning pain on urination, or bladder pain, and yet you’re coming back negative on UTI testing, these symptoms could very well be coming from your pelvic floor muscles![1]
Your pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that sit like a basket at the bottom of your pelvis and connect from your tailbone to your pubic bone and go through your vaginal canal, rectal canal, and your urethra. These muscles control your bladder and bowel function.[2] If there are any issues or dysfunction with your pelvic floor muscles, this can cause issues around your urethra and bladder which can mimic UTI symptoms, when in reality you’re dealing with tight or overactive muscles.[1,3]
How can pelvic floor physiotherapy help?
Once you’ve ruled out an infection with your physician, pelvic floor physiotherapy will identify potential pelvic floor dysfunction that is keeping your bladder from working efficiently, restore proper pelvic floor muscle function, and help you manage your symptoms.[1,4] Your pelvic floor muscles need to be able to relax in order for you to urinate and have healthy bowel movements, but if those muscles are overactive, the whole system can be disrupted.[3]
Tight or overactive pelvic floor muscles can cause pulling and pressure along your bladder and urethra which then refers pain to the bladder, urethra, and/or vagina. Overactive pelvic floor muscle dysfunction can actually lead to a real, full-blown UTI due to incomplete bladder emptying cause by pelvic floor muscles that just cannot relax and release! This retained urine can collect bacteria and other debris which can result in an infection.[5]
A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help identify the root cause of this pelvic floor muscle dysfunction as well as assess and treat these muscles. Poor bladder and bowel habits can also be a big contributing factor so this will be discussed as well with your pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Ready to take charge of your pelvic health? Book an appointment at Vital today!
References
- Clemens JQ, Erickson DR, Varela NP, Lai HH. Diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. J Urol. 2022;208(1):34-42. doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000002756
- Bordoni B, Sugumar K, Leslie SW. Anatomy, abdomen and pelvis: pelvic floor. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2026. Updated May 13, 2026. Accessed September 24, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482200/
- Frawley H, Shelly B, Morin M, et al. An International Continence Society (ICS) report on the terminology for pelvic floor muscle assessment. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021;40(5):1217-1260. doi:10.1002/nau.24658
- FitzGerald MP, Payne CK, Lukacz ES, et al. Randomized multicenter clinical trial of myofascial physical therapy in women with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and pelvic floor tenderness. J Urol. 2012;187(6):2113-2118. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2012.01.123
- Raz R, Gennesin Y, Wasser J, et al. Recurrent urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;30(1):152-156. doi:10.1086/313596
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