Muscle Connect-A-Dot: Tongue Stretches to Pelvic Floor Relief
Now, we’ve seen some unusual workout trends in our time, but this next one really takes the cake. Ever considered a good tongue stretch to enhance your fitness? Well, Olympic athlete Colleen Quigley has, and she reckons it’s helping not just with her training, but also her entire bodily health. So, let’s take a deep dive into this quirky regimen and see what we can discover about the connection between our tongue and our core!
The Game Changer: Tongue Stretch
So, if you’ve been following Colleen Quigley, you’ve probably caught sight of her tongue-stretching routine. She swears by it 1000% and credits it for helping her relax her jaw and thusly releasing tension in her pelvic floor; all by simply pulling the tongue in different directions. Darn right, we’re not pulling your leg, it’s the tongue we’re interested in!
But before you think she’s gone off the deep end, have a ping at science. According to Cate Schaffer, a multisite clinic director and pelvic floor therapist at ATI Physical Therapy, she’s right on the money. The jaw and the pelvic floor were throwing parties together even before you said your first, “Mama”. Turns out, everything’s connected in our bodies, including our tongue and pelvic floor, and this connection begins in the developmental stages of our embryo. Mind-blowing, huh?
The Anatomy of Synchrony
Here’s the skinny – the fascial development in our bodies, which essentially forms a supportive network of connective tissue, intertwines our mouth and pelvic floor. To connect the final dots for you, this implies that the actions we generally conduct with our mouth like eating, talking and yawning can influence the pelvic floor’s state. There’s more, the celebrity nerve of our bodies, the vagus nerve, has VIP access to our pelvic organs, tongue, and voice box.
Doctor-cum-founder of stretching app Movement Vault, Grayson Wickham, approves this theory. He notes that releasing tension in the jaw through tongue stretching can significantly impact the pelvic floor due to this interlinked fascial system. Fascinating, isn’t it?
The Interplay of Tension and Relief
Let’s talk tensions. If you’ve been combatting a persistently tight jaw or you’ve noticed shifts in your breathing patterns, it might not just be affecting your conversation skills. Dr. Schaffer suggests these symptoms could be contributing to tension, poor coordination, and potential pain in your pelvic floor (as is often the case).
Now, while Quigley finds tongue stretches revolutionary, it goes without saying that not every technique works equally for everyone. Some folks might find more benefit from focusing on improving their activation in their pelvic floor muscles, instead of solely relying on tongue stretches. But if you’re curious to test these waters, consider trying gentle tongue stretches for about a minute or two daily and see if it brings relief.
No harm in giving it a whirl, right?
The Stretch Takeaway
- Olympic athlete Colleen Quigley swears by tongue stretches for relaxing her jaw and releasing tension in the pelvic floor.
- Through early stages of embryonic development, fascial networks connect the jaw and tongue, with the pelvic floor.
- The vagus nerve connects the pelvic organs, tongue, and voice box.
- Tension in the jaw may contribute to tension in the pelvic floor.
- While tongue stretches aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, they’re worth exploring as a potential addition to your healthy habits.
In conclusion, don’t be tongue-tied when it comes to trying out new, beneficial fitness techniques. Keep an open mind and remember, flexibility isn’t just reserved for your hamstrings!
Source Citation: https://www.wellandgood.com/colleen-quigley-warmup-tongue-stretch-for-pelvic-floor/
