Breathing – Why Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists Care
My physical therapist cares about how I breathe…? YES we do! While it may seem simple, and
may be something you’ve never thought about before, your breath can be a powerful tool! In
physical therapy we often like to focus on diaphragmatic breathing – a style of breathing focuses
on optimizing engagement of the diaphragm. By addressing any issues or limitations in your
ability to take proper diaphragmatic breaths, we can address limitations in your mobility, nervous
system regulation, and pelvic floor function.
Mobility
Your thoracic spine and rib cage are meant to move! As you inhale, your diaphragm contracts
and lowers, creating a vacuum that pulls air into your lungs. As your lungs fill with air, your ribs
must expand in an “up and out” motion to make space. As you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes,
air exits your lungs, and your ribs move “down and in” to return to their resting position. By
observing how you breathe and where most of the movement is coming from, we can gain
insight into potential mobility deficits. When you lack mobility in what is supposed to be a mobile
segment of our body, you may begin to compensate with dysfunctional movement patterns,
which can then potentially lead to pain or discomfort elsewhere in the body.
Nervous system regulation
Breathing can also help down-regulate our nervous system. Through the diaphragm, runs a long
nerve called the vagus nerve. It travels from your brainstem all the way down to your abdomen.
The vagus nerve is a part of your parasympathetic nervous system, your “rest and digest”
system – helping slow down your heart rate, improve digestion, and lower your blood pressure.
When you take diaphragmatic breaths, your diaphragm strokes the vagus nerve and stimulates
its activity. By teaching you how to breathe with optimal diaphragmatic movement, we can tap
into your parasympathetic nervous system to help reduce pelvic floor muscle tension,
encourage regular bowel movements, and promote total body relaxation.
Function with the Pelvic Floor
The diaphragm and the pelvic floor are best friends – they move together! As you breathe in and
the diaphragm contracts downward, your pelvic floor relaxes and moves slightly downward as
well. As you breathe out and the diaphragm moves upward, your pelvic floor moves in sync and
lifts slightly. In pelvic floor physical therapy, we can utilize this natural pairing of the diaphragm
and pelvic floor muscles to improve your pelvic floor muscle tone and coordination. We will
teach people techniques to help promote pelvic floor relaxation with the inhale and/or facilitate a
pelvic floor contraction with the exhale. Proper pairing of diaphragm and pelvic floor movements
is also critical when working to improve pressure management strategies when dealing with
stress urinary incontinence or symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse.
Your breath is so powerful! If you find yourself struggling with leaking, prolapse, digestive
issues, increased muscle tension, or chronic pain, we would love to help you find your breath
and learn how to use it to your advantage!