When people think of pelvic floor issues, it often involves symptoms such as urinary incontinence, bowel dysfunction, or pain with intercourse/sexual function. However, there are many more connections we can make in the body to the pelvic floor, including the hip. The hip joint is connected to the pelvis and works to provide stability and movement to the body.

The pelvic floor is the group of muscles that sit at the bottom of the pelvis. While these specific muscles may not directly connect into the hip, there is a small hip muscle, called the Obturator Internus, that runs right next to the pelvic floor muscles and, along with other external rotators of the hip, acts as secondary supporters to the pelvic floor. This muscle not only controls the motion and rotation of the hip, but can also influence the positioning of the pelvis itself as well as pelvic floor function. Outside of this, the nerve that innervates much of the area of the pelvic floor and blood vessels run along this muscle to then feed the pelvic floor and surrounding area.

Because of these connections, it is very common for someone who has pelvic floor issues to have hip pain, and vice versa. Some of the most common symptoms we see for hip pain related to pelvic floor issues include:

• Deep and dull pain/ache on the outside of the hip

• Deep and dull pain/ache on the sit bones (close to where the hamstring attaches)

• Tailbone pain

• Groin pain

• Hip tightness/decrease range of motion/mobility

• “Pinching” in the hip

At Absolute Kinetics, we take a whole body approach and aim to treat the cause of the symptoms. We perform a thorough evaluation to give us an idea of where the issues started and how it’s all connected so we can make your treatment plan as efficient as possible.

Interested in learning more about how you can work with us virtually or at our office in Collierville, TN? Set up your FREE 15 minute phone consult here.

Blog post originally written by Dr. Tyler Kornblum, PT, DPT, ATC, updated 11/21/2023 by Dr. Alexis Hutchison, PT, DPT, OCS

Interested in learning more about pelvic floor health? Check out our FREE PDF download: 5 Simple Tips for a Healthy Pelvic Floor.

Next on your reading list: Postpartum exercise: when to begin your journey