Question of the Day – Why am I diet sensitive if my pelvic floor muscles are the problem?

We get this question every week. If you’ve had symptoms for years and bladder therapies aren’t working and you are still struggling with flares, it’s time to look beyond the bladder and specifically to the pelvic floor muscles. Did you suffer an injury before your symptoms began? Were you an athlete?? Did you ride bikes, motorcycles or horses? Were you a gymnast or skater? Did you fall onto pelvis or tail bone? Have you had pelvic surgery?

Injured, traumatized muscles often become weakened and then tight, literally squeezing blood vessels. This then leads to pelvic ischemia, aka poor circulation and blood supply. Thus, if the bladder only gets half the expected blood flow, will the bladder wall be healthy? The answer, of course, is no.

For many of these patients, years of bladder treatments are ineffective. They continue to struggle with symptoms and flares. Why? Because bladder treatments will not fix the underlying problem…. poor blood supply. The goal of physical therapy is to relax and release muscle tension to support better circulation. That’s when healing occurs.

I learned this personally last summer after a bout with severe coughing with COVID. Out of desperation, I tried hot lemonade with honey to soothe my throat and I was shocked that it didn’t irritate my bladder. I hadn’t drunk lemonade in thirty years. In fact, I can now eat or drink almost all of the risk foods without suffering any flares. Why? I believe that physical therapy reversed decades of muscle tension and restored good blood supply to my bladder and surrounding tissues resulting healing of muscles, nerves and the bladder wall.

Yes, diet modification is important to keep your symptoms minimal but once your muscles improve, you may be able to enjoy many more foods. In general, the patients who are the most diet sensitive are those with active Hunner’s lesions and estrogen atrophy. Learn more about diet here! – Jill O.

If you’re dying for a cup of coffee or to enjoy your favorite pasta while your bladder is sensitive, you can use Prelief to reduce that acid. It’s the only medical food approved for IC and thousands of patients have used it successfully for decades to eat a more balanced diet.