Pelvic Health Tip of the Week: Check In and Reduce Your Muscle Tension at Work!
Did you know that multiple muscles in your body have been found to be "threat-responders?" It's true-- in my favorite study by Van der Velde and colleagues (way back in 2001), they found that the pelvic floor muscles respond to threatening stimuli (in this case, it was a video the participants were watching) through contraction.
Interestingly enough, the pelvic floor muscles are definitely not the only muscles that have this response. This same study found that the upper trapezius muscles also responded in the same way, and they theorized that other muscles likely have the same response. In my own clinical experience, I have seen some patients carry tension in their jaws, their upper backs, and even in their stomach muscles. There are many reasons behind why this happens-- first, increased stress or threat can trigger the sympathetic nervous system to respond-- this is your fight or flight system. Muscle tension then, makes sense as the body is preparing to either run, fight, or hide. When a threat persists to the nervous system, we also can see a cascade of changes in the body-- nerves can become upregulated, muscles can become tender/sore, and there are even changes in the brain itself. You can read more about the brain, tension and pain in these prior posts (here, here, and here).
Check In Exercises
If your body is carrying muscle tension during times of stress, "check-ins" are an easy exercise you can do to break the pattern. To try this:
Sit or stand quietly, planting your feet on the floor.
Use your mind to scan through your body from head to toe, observing any areas where your body is carrying tension. Be sure to specifically check in with your jaw, shoulders, belly, back, hips, and pelvic floor muscles.
If you find tension, try to think about softening and letting go of the tightness in those muscles. You can also do a short contraction/clenching of the muscles, followed by a long relaxation.
Once the muscles let go, pause and take a few slow diaphragmatic breaths. Breathing in this way helps to reduce tension in the body. Slow breathing also turns on your parasympathetic nervous system-- your resting and digesting system.
If you enjoy this, consider setting some reminders for yourself throughout the day to help you stay consistent with letting go of tension! I hope this helps you!
Get In Touch With Dr. Jessica Reale
Southern Pelvic Health offers services in Atlanta as well as remote virtual consultations.