Silently suffering from urine leakage? experiencing painful sex? enduring pelvic pain? feeling down at the sight of the pouch of your postpartum body? being bothered by your low back? or you might not had a baby in the past year but is being troubled by these. There is a solution to your problem and you might be shocked when you hear the answer. Let me propose to you a simple exercise that could help deal with your pelvic issues – Breathing Exercise.
Breathing exercise, as simple as it is, is a basic foundation in pelvic health. Our body, as a single unit with interconnected systems working together and moving along as one, requires to have a solid base in order to carry out simple and complex functions efficiently and free of injury. Hence, an isolated single tightness of a muscle may lead to several more problems unknowingly. An elderly woman who had bladder incontinence for years might have tightness of the inner thigh muscles as a result of her attempt to prevent leaking; a new mom who started to have numbness on one arm might have tightness of neck and shoulder muscles brought by her arm position while nursing and holding the newborn; or a middle-aged woman who complain of painful sex that could have been due to inability of pelvic floor muscles to relax. These are just a few of the many pelvic issues women face but often left untreated.
So, how then does breathing exercise help? The diaphragm, which is the main muscle for breathing, and the pelvic floor muscles are interconnected and any movement of the diaphragm affects the pelvic floor. I want you to try this. Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed, place your hands around your waist, take a deep breath through your nose, let your belly expand forward, sideways and back while keeping your chest down, hold for a second or two and then breathe out slowly through your mouth making an “S” sound. Can you imagine how much mobility you have created not just on your belly, rib cage but also the pelvic floor with a single breath? The key to this exercise is the proper execution of the correct breathing pattern in order to see its effects.
Here are some general benefits of proper breathing:
- Improves blood flow.
- Reduces stress and promotes relaxation.
- Relieves pain.
- Helps correct posture.
- Lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
To learn more about the specific benefits of breathing exercises in alleviating pelvic issues, speak to a pelvic health specialist or physical therapist. Our women’s health champion will show you how to deal with pelvic issues through breathing exercises. Tribeca Physical Therapy is officially reopened for in-person physical therapy sessions and continues to offer Telehealth PT or Virtual PT. Call us at 2124068080 or message us and book your first session free.
