In plain words
Intra-abdominal pressure is the pressure inside the belly, the space that holds the stomach, intestines, and other organs. It goes up when you cough, sneeze, lift, strain, or bear down. The belly wall and pelvic floor help hold that pressure in. After pregnancy, the belly wall can be loose, so the pressure can push outward. That may show as a bulge or dome along the middle of the belly when you sit up or lift. Clinicians use the terms or coning for this. The pressure itself is normal, and everyone has it. It can matter more when the belly wall and pelvic floor are weak after birth. Physical therapists often teach changes in how to lift, roll, and get up, and can check the pelvic floor and belly wall together.
The deeper version
Intra-abdominal pressure is generated by contraction of the diaphragm, abdominal wall muscles, and pelvic floor during Valsalva and trunk flexion. When the is lax, rising pressure displaces the midline anteriorly, producing doming or coning with trunk flexion. Sapsford and Hodges (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2001) described pelvic floor co-contraction during abdominal maneuvers, a link that underlies postpartum rehabilitation. Interventions aimed at reducing pressure during activity are common, but their effect on outcomes is not well established. Raised pressure is associated with and in some studies. Controversy persists over whether pressure drives diastasis or follows from it.
Where it comes up
- Belly bindingNourishment and Traditions
- Diastasis recti: abdominal separationPregnancy: Your Body
- Your pelvic floor after birthPostpartum: Your Body
- Returning to exercisePostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about intra-abdominal pressure
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Sources
- Sapsford RR, Hodges PW — Contraction of the pelvic floor muscles during abdominal maneuvers. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2001