I address proper breathing with almost 100% of my patients. But why? What’s the big deal about breathing anyway?
Why it’s Important
Truth be told, training correct breathing is one of the most underutilized tools in the world of health. One simple action: breathe in and breathe out. This one simple action, when done correctly, has extraordinary effects on the body. It calms the nervous system. It can slow your heart rate and reduce anxiety. It relaxes muscles in your hips, back, and pelvis, and activates your core and pelvic floor evenly. It can decrease neck, low back, and SI pain, and naturally lengthens and strengthens the pelvic floor and abdominals and allows for pressure management through your core. This in turn helps to resolve diastasis, incontinence, pelvic pain, and prolapse symptoms.
Success Story
Still not convinced that breathing matters? Well, let me tell you a story. A year or so ago, a woman in her 40s came to me complaining of leakage during high impact activity, namely with running and jumping jacks. This woman was very active and enjoyed going to HIIT classes several times a week. However during class she would often leak through her underwear and leggings, which was highly uncomfortable and embarrassing for her. This leakage had been going on for YEARS. She was a mom of 4 and had never sought out treatment for herself until seeing me.
At her initial evaluation, I noticed that she wasn’t breathing deeply in addition to holding her breath during exercise. Breath holding, or valsalva, during exercise causes a ton of pressure to build through your abdomen and pelvic floor. So we spent a lot of time that day learning how to breathe using the diaphragm both at rest and during exercise. The very next visit, she came back and told me that she was 90% better and that she hadn’t leaked at all during her HIIT class that morning!
How to Breathe Correctly
So what exactly is this “correct” breathing pattern anyway? Well, correct breathing utilizes your diaphragm for deep breathing instead of using your accessory breathing muscles, such as your neck and chest muscles, which allows for a shallow breathing pattern only. So, are you a shallow breather?
Quick check: place one hand on the top of your shoulder and the other on the side of your rib cage, and take a slow, 3 second inhale. If the hand on your shoulder moves more than the hand on your ribs, you are using a shallow breathing pattern. Now take both hands and place them on each side of your rib cage, and inhale again. When breathing correctly, you will feel your ribs expand forward into your finger tips, outward into your palms, and backward into your thumbs. This is called a 360 breathing pattern. Only feeling belly expansion? This is called belly breathing. There is a time and a place for belly breathing, but it is not a good normal breathing pattern.
If you’re struggling with getting a 360 pattern, that’s okay. There are many reasons why people can struggle with 360 breathing such as a flared rib cage (very common among postpartum women), poor core firing, pelvic floor tightness, poor posture, or habit to name a few. We can address all these areas in physical therapy.
If you’re struggling with pain, incontinence, prolapse, leakage, or have any other pelvic floor symptoms, come see me at The Center and we can take a deep breath together.
The Center treats a variety of conditions related to pelvic health for men and women. Ellen specializes in optimizing patients’ health in this area. To learn more about what Ellen and the Center can do for you and to watch a video about our program, visit our page here.