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What are we getting right — and wrong — about the hip–pelvic floor connection?

In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jenny LaCross, PhD, ATC, PT and Dr. Laurel Proulx, PT, DPT to unpack the evolving conversation around pelvic floor dysfunction, hip mechanics, stress urinary incontinence, and clinical reasoning in women’s health physical therapy.

Jenny is a certified athletic trainer and board-certified women’s health physical therapist with extensive experience treating pelvic health, hip, and low back conditions. Laurel focuses on modernizing pelvic health through research and education while bridging the gap between rehab and fitness. Together, they challenge oversimplified narratives around “weak vs. tight” pelvic floors and advocate for a more nuanced, individualized, impairment-based framework.

We dive into how myths continue to shape patient care, why clinicians may be focusing on the wrong impairments, and what the research actually supports when it comes to pelvic floor strength, high tone, levator ani considerations, urethral support, and morphologic variability.

If you’re a pelvic floor PT, orthopedic clinician, strength coach, or rehab professional working with active women navigating leakage, pelvic pain, prolapse, or hip–pelvic floor crossover symptoms, this episode offers practical insight into assessment, communication, and evidence-informed decision-making.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The relationship between the hip and pelvic floor — what we know and what remains unclear
• Debunking common pelvic floor myths that influence treatment plans
• Why clinicians may be focusing on the wrong impairments in patient care
• The levator ani’s role in stress urinary incontinence
• Pelvic floor strength — and why strength alone doesn’t tell the whole story
• High tone pelvic floor presentations and how to interpret findings
• Urethral failure and the potential role of genetics
• Common morphologic variations and how anatomy impacts function
• The big clinical takeaways for improving pelvic health assessment and treatment

This is a thoughtful, research-informed conversation designed to help you move beyond black-and-white thinking and deliver smarter, individualized pelvic floor care.

If you’re committed to advancing women’s health physical therapy and refining your clinical reasoning in pelvic rehab, this one’s for you.

Time Stamps

1:00 Introduction

7:15 debunking common pelvic floor myths

15:23 focusing on the wrong things with patient care

18:15 the levator ani and incontinence

23:27 pelvic floor strength

27:05 pelvic floor high tone

35:35 common morphologic variations

45:36 the big take home advice

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The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey.

This show has been a long time in the making!

You can expect conversation with moms and professionals from all aspects of the industry.

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