5 Things to Know About Your Pelvic Floor If You Are a Hypermobile Human

Living with hypermobility means your joints and connective tissues behave a bit differently—but did you know this can significantly affect your pelvic floor too?

If you've been dealing with symptoms like pelvic pain, constipation, or feelings of instability in your body and haven’t found lasting relief, your hypermobility may be playing a bigger role than you think—especially when it comes to your pelvic health.

At Intrinsic Physical Therapy & Wellness, we specialize in both pelvic floor therapy and hypermobility syndromes (like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder), and we see these patterns every day. Understanding them is the first step toward real, lasting improvement.

Here are 5 key things to know about your pelvic floor if you are a hypermobile human:

1. Your Pelvic Floor Muscles Are Likely Tight—Not Weak

Many people assume that pelvic floor issues stem from weakness. But in hypermobile bodies, the opposite is often true: the pelvic floor muscles tend to be tight, overactive, or guarded.

Why? Your body is constantly working to create stability where your joints are overly mobile. This includes the pelvic floor, which can grip or brace to compensate for lack of support elsewhere in the core or hips.

The result: a pelvic floor that’s tense and fatigued, not loose and weak—and one that struggles to function efficiently.

Translation: Kegels aren’t always the answer. In fact, they might make things worse if not done correctly or if your muscles are already over-recruited.

2. You Might Be Dealing With Constipation—and It’s Not Just About Diet

Constipation is one of the most common and frustrating symptoms I see in hypermobile patients, and it often has pelvic floor roots.

A tight or uncoordinated pelvic floor can make it difficult for the rectal muscles to relax fully during bowel movements. Add in poor abdominal pressure control (common in hypermobility), sluggish motility, or autonomic nervous system dysregulation (we’ll get to that in a second), and it’s no wonder things don’t move easily.

Straining, breath-holding, or avoiding the urge to go can make the problem worse—and can even contribute to issues like pelvic organ prolapse over time.

3. You May Be at Higher Risk for Pelvic Pain and Prolapse

Hypermobile individuals are more prone to:

• Pelvic organ prolapse (when organs like the bladder, uterus, or rectum shift downward)

• Pelvic pain (due to joint instability, nerve sensitivity, or muscle dysfunction)

• Pain with sex or tampon insertion

Why? Collagen, the protein that gives your tissues structure, is often more lax or fragile in hypermobility syndromes. That includes the ligaments and fascia that support your pelvic organs.

Combined with muscle tightness, pressure imbalances, and hormonal influences, this increases your risk for downward pressure or pain in the pelvis.

The good news? With the right pelvic floor therapy approach—focused on coordination, control, and whole-body balance—you can greatly reduce symptoms and even prevent progression.

4. "Typical" Posture Makes It Harder to Activate the Right Muscles

If you have hypermobility, your body has probably developed certain postural patterns to compensate for joint instability. This might include:

• Swayback posture

• Locked knees and hyperextended hips

• Collapsed core or rib flaring

These postures make it harder to recruit the pelvic floor and deep core muscles effectively. It’s like trying to do fine motor work with your body in the wrong gear—it just doesn’t work well.

In physical therapy, we focus on neutral alignment and better muscle recruitment, not by forcing perfect posture, but by retraining your system to work more efficiently and supportively.

5. Your Autonomic Nervous System Is Playing a Bigger Role Than You Think

If you have hypermobility, your autonomic nervous system (ANS)—the part of your nervous system that controls things like digestion, heart rate, and muscle tone—is likely more sensitive.

Conditions like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), fatigue, anxiety, and temperature regulation issues are common in hypermobility and directly influence how your body responds to stress—including physical stress like exercise or pelvic tension.

This means your pelvic floor might be guarding or tightening in response to nervous system overload, not just physical triggers.

A key part of therapy includes nervous system regulation: breathwork, vagus nerve support, pacing, and stress modulation alongside movement.

Final Thoughts

Your pelvic floor is deeply connected to your whole-body function—and hypermobility adds an important layer of complexity. But when you understand the “why” behind your symptoms, you're empowered to take steps that actually work.

If you're living with hypermobility and are dealing with pelvic symptoms, know this:

• You're not imagining it

• You’re not alone

• There is help—and it starts with working with someone who understands both sides of the equation

Need Support?

As a clinic that specializes in pelvic floor and hypermobility, we work with clients in-person and virtually to help them reconnect with their bodies, reduce pain, and feel stronger from the inside out. Contact us to schedule a find out more or schedule an appointment!