Stress and the Pelvic Floor

The Connection Between Stress and Pelvic Floor Tension 

It’s no secret that stress Is bad for the body. Stress is commonly linked to heart problems, shoulder tension, headaches, and digestive issues. Many people, however, don’t know that stress can also cause tension in the pelvic floor. 

The Pelvic Stress Reflex

The Pelvic Stress Reflex is a bodily response to physical and emotional stress. It causes the pelvic floor muscles to over-contract, causing tension and pain in the area. We know what tension in our shoulders feels like, so it’s a little easier to connect our aching backs at the end of a long day to the scrunched-up, tightly wound position we’ve been sitting in at work all day while desperately trying to finish our jobs in time to catch the sunset or make dinner. 

Many of us are a lot less familiar with the sensation of pelvic tension, and therefore let it go unnoticed. The reality is, the same thing is commonly happening to our pelvic floor muscles. 

Here are some signs of increased pelvic tension that you might be ignoring:

• Constipation

• Urination problems (difficulty emptying the bladder completely and leaking are both symptoms)

• Painful sex

• While sitting: pain in the low back, sacrum, or tailbone

• Pain with insertion (ie. tampons, gynecology appointments)

The Cycle of Pain

When the pelvic floor muscles over-contract, we can have a hard time relaxing them. It becomes a cycle: stress creates tension in the muscles, the body feels pain, and in an effort to correct the pain, the muscles tense up even more. Over time your muscles forget how to soften, even when the original stressor is gone. In addition, when your body is stressed it dumps hormones into the system, including cortisol. The chronic excess of cortisol adds to this inability to relax. In fight or flight, your body is fighting, trying to protect you, but actually causing you pain. 

So what might be causing stress? Anxiety, depression, and poor sleep can be a factor, just like with other kinds of stress-induced pain. 

Breaking The Cycle

So, what can we do? Just because you’re caught in a painful cycle, doesn’t mean you can’t get out. The first step is simply awareness. Notice when you’re feeling tension in your body. Pause. Breath. Focus on the inhalation and exhalation as it moves through the pelvic floor. It’s important to learn when your body is taking on stress and then breathe into that space. Breath is a powerful tool to break the cycle of pain. 

When you feel pain, it’s your body screaming at you that something is wrong. Try to begin noticing the very start of pain, before it gets to the point where you’re really hurting. Take some time right at the beginning to try to relax. 

Here are some exercises you can try at home to release pelvic tension. 

Breathing into the space:

1. Lie on your back with your knees over a pillow or a rolled blanket. 

2. Take a deep breath through the nose and follow it as it fills your abdomen, low belly (front to back), rib cage (front, back, and side to side). This is the stretching of the pelvic floor. 

3. Exhale through pursed lips. Start the exhale from the pubic bone and follow it through the belly button. 

4. Inhale again, and allow the breath to fill the body. This opens the pelvic floor. This is the relaxation part.

5. Exhale softly and completely. This is the contraction phase. 

6. Repeat for five or six rounds. 

Child’s pose:

1. Kneel on the floor. 

2. Spread your knees wider than your hips and touch your big toes together. Rock your hips backward onto your heels. 

3. Lean your body forward onto the ground and stretch your arms out in front of you on the floor. 

4. Exhale and move your torso closer to the ground. 

5. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths. 

Happy baby:

1. Lie on your back. 

2. Exhale and bring your knees to your belly. 

3. Inhale and grip the outside of your feet with your hands, opening your knees slightly wider than your torso. 

4. Bring your knees towards your armpit. Push your feet up into your hands as you gently pull downward to create resistance. 

5. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths. 

Butterfly

1. Lie on your back with a rolled blanket under your knees. 

2. Bring the soles of your feet together and the knees apart. 

3. Place your hands on your belly. 

4. Take deep, slow breaths in and out of the nose, allowing the inner groin to soften. 

5. Repeat for 5-10 breaths.