And guess what? There’s an app for that! The Breath2Relax app for iphone/android allows a person to program in his or her breath and then takes you through a guided breathing exercise.Ħ) Slow breathing with the diaphragm can reduce pelvic pain. As we discussed previously, the pelvic floor and diaphragm are coordinated and work together to control pressures through the pelvis. Have you noticed this at the end of yoga class, when you're doing Savasana? Slow breathing will help calm stress, anxiety and promote a person being in a more parasympathetic state. The cool thing is that we can use our breath to help us move toward a more relaxed state. In that state, a person will take slow calm breaths (think: sipping a cup of tea after a great massage). The parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) is activated when in a more calm or relaxed state (yes, I am oversimplifying all of this). When a person is fearful or anxious, the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) is activated, and a person will take quick shallow breaths to bring oxygen to the muscles as quickly as possible (think: being chased by a bear). This relationship is so huge that problems with breathing and incontinence are more correlated with low back pain than obesity and physical activity.ĥ) Slow breathing with the diaphragm can calm down the nervous system. The breath is connected to the autonomic nervous system.
Proper breathing helps to restore the optimal pressures needed to control movements and support the pelvic organs. This is likely due to the relationship between the pelvic floor and diaphragm in controlling intra-abdominal pressure within the abdomen and the pelvis.
#ESSENTIAL ANATOMY 5 APP CAKE FULL#
Amazingly, when people re-established proper firing of the diaphragm leading to full excursion, both low back pain and bladder problems reduced. Now, that is pretty cool, right? Excellent research by Paul Hodges and colleagues has shown altered firing patterns of the diaphragm in people with low back pain or urinary incontinence. Now, no post on the diaphragm would be complete without an excellent video explanation by Julie Wiebe, PT, who is amazing and has done so much to help advance the understanding of dynamic stability in PT practice.Ĥ) Retraining proper firing of the diaphragm can help to reduce urinary incontinence AND low back pain. Together, these muscles make up our “anticipatory core” and are important muscles for healthy pain-free movement patterns and yoga pose sequences. The diaphragm works together with the pelvic floor muscles, abdominal muscles (transverse abdominis) and low back muscles (multifidus) to pre-activate and provide support to the body during movement.
Think about this the next time you practice yogic breathing!ģ) The diaphragm is a key member of a team of muscles that help to create dynamic postural stability. The ribs will also move during inhalation and exhalation to allow space for the lungs to fill. During inhalation as the diaphragm flattens to allow the lungs to fill with air, the diaphragm will “pull” slightly on each of those attachments, effectively giving you a gentle mobilization. The central tendon of the diaphragm then attaches to the third lumbar vertebrae. The diaphragm attaches to the first, second and third lumbar vertebrae, the inner part of the lower six ribs as well as the back of the sternum at the xiphoid process. But, before I brought your attention to your breath, you were using the diaphragm without even thinking about it!Ģ) The diaphragm helps to mobilize the ribs, lumbar spine and thoracic spine. How cool is that? You can activate your diaphragm by taking a long, slow, breath expanding your ribcage 360 degrees and allowing your belly to relax. 6 Facts About the Diaphragm to Ponder When You Practice Yogaġ) We can contract our diaphragm voluntarily–but it also will contract without us consciously telling it to. Here are some of the reasons why the diaphragm really is so cool. Of course, you know that now the pelvic floor muscle group ranks pretty high on that list, but the diaphragm … well … it just takes the cake. In PT school, my favorite muscles were the ones with the most fun names, like the Gemelli brothers (who are small hip external rotators) or Sartorius (a thigh muscle-best, if sung to the tune of “Notorious“). So, it should come as no shock to you that I have favorite muscles. The human body is fascinating and incredible. Who would have known that years later, Movement Science would have been the coolest name for a major ever? Am I right, fellow PTs?). It was studying human anatomy and physiology that made me shift my undergraduate degree at Gordon College away from Biology and into Movement Science (which has now become Kinesiology.
I have a small confession to make: I love the study of human anatomy.