Every Breath You Take: Breathing and the Pelvic Floor
“Every breath you take. Every move you make.”
Do you know that song by The Police? It is incredibly fitting for this topic!
Oftentimes, we take breathing for granted. It just comes naturally, right?! We don’t really have to think about it. BUT, we really should begin to think about it and understand the big picture when it comes to breathing, movement, and the pelvic floor.
Let’s start with a little anatomy. What muscles are doing work while you are breathing?
Diaphragm (muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen)
Intercostal muscles (muscles between your ribs)
Abdominal and core muscles
Pelvic Floor muscles
Neck muscles
Take a minute or two to take a few breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. What are you noticing when you are breathing? What is happening when you take a breath in (inhale) or breathe out (exhale)? Is your chest and shoulders moving? Does your belly move? What’s happening around your ribs?
I know, it’s a lot to think to about.
When it comes to movement, exercise, and the pelvic floor, the way you breathe could be the difference between accidentally peeing your pants and being able to do the things you want to do without the wetness!
Yes! Breathing is that important! So let’s talk about what should be happening during our breath cycles…
As you inhale, the diaphragm lowers, creating pressure in to your abdominal and core region as well as the pelvic floor.
As you exhale, the diaphragm rises, the abdominal/core moves in, and the pelvic floor lifts.
So, what happens when you hold your breath or take too shallow of breaths? This creates increased downward pressure (intra abdominal pressure) in your abdominal wall and pelvic floor. As we adopt this style of breathing to become the new norm, the muscles of the abdomen and pelvic floor can become tight and weak leading to urinary leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, and sometimes pelvic pain.
Let’s go back to the exercise we did in the beginning where we focus on our breathing. Knowing what you know now, take note of how you are breathing. Are you getting full breaths in? Can you feel the rise and fall of the abdomen and pelvic floor with each breath?
Not quite? That’s ok. A great exercise you can do to practice proper breathing is to lie down with your knees bent. Place one hand on your chest, and one hand on your diaphragm (slightly below your ribs). Slowly breathe in through your nose. Try to keep the hand on your chest still as the hand on your diaphragm rises. Now breathe out (exhale) through pursed lips. Again, try to keep the hand on your chest still while the hand on your diaphragm comes inward and your stomach muscles tighten.
Take a look at this video for proper diaphragmatic breathing.
Now that we have practiced diaphragmatic breathing, let’s tie the pelvic floor back in to all of this. As mentioned above, naturally the pelvic floor lifts during the exhale when we are breathing properly. It’s really important when you are doing your pelvic floor exercises and kegels to be contracting the pelvic floor during the exhale phase of your breathing cycle.
Not sure if you have it down quite right? Give us a call at Shift Physical Therapy. We will look at the big picture and help you learn great exercises with proper breathing to decrease urinary leakage, improve your confidence, and take control of your symptoms so that you can CRUSH your goals. Now is your time, make the SHIFT.
Written by: Jackie Giese
