Pelvic Floor Rehab-Release Pelvic Floor Muscles & How to Activate the Pelvic Floor

We’re finally into the meat! In this video we go over how to release SUPER common problem spots for pelvic pain and lower back pain—the pesky pectineus, iliacus and obterators.

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You can use just your hands to get some relaxation in these areas and they do *wonders* for relieving pain all over the body, including the neck and shoulders.

To release the pectineus, you’ll want to pin the pocket of the groin, and then you can use the weight of your leg to act as a stretch. In massage it’s called a ‘pin and stretch’. I go over the details in this video—promise you’ll feel like your leg not only gets longer, but more relaxed afterward.

The iliacus lines the ilia of the pelvis and can be a major core compensation muscle. This muscle can be tight if you also have digestive issues or hold tension in your ‘guts’. Releasing this before attempting core work may help you get more abdominal engagement.

Lastly, we go into the obterators, which are super deep at the base of the pelvis. These get tight from sitting as well as from breath-holding. Many of us also ‘pinch pennies’ down there when we’re stressed, which makes this area chronically tight. Think about the pelvis like a butterfly with its wings spread. Pinching the bottom of the wings together pulls the upper wings apart. Thus, releasing that tether on the bottom wings, relaxes the upper portions. Doing this can be a huge help in lower back pain.

I would not suggest using something like a Theragun on this area—you aren’t trying to pummel your pelvic muscles. This massager has some helpful attachments that help to hook onto bones and it has a vibrational/percussive element instead of just percussive. Also, if you gently try to push those upper edges of the butterfly wings (the ilia) together and that feels relaxing to your body, you may want to invest in a pelvic floor belt. There’s a lot of variety here and you want to find the right thickness for you as if you buy one that has too much depth, it will ride up as you bend over. Here’s the one I’ve heard the best feedback on from clients. You can find my favorite book on the pelvic floor with helpful exercises here.

Again, massaging these spots will help you relax all over and will make it easier to breathe. Please comment or reach out if you have any questions and thanks for watching!

Pelvic Floor Rehab-Abductors & Adductors

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As we travel up from the feet and ankles towards the pelvic floor, we hit the adductors and abductors (inner & outer thighs). These are the balance muscles of your legs, the I’m-falling-and-I-can’t-get-up muscles. The inner thighs run contiguous to the pelvic floor and core muscles. AND pretty much everyone is weak in these groups.

Massage

Par for the course of this Pelvic Floor Rehab series, we release, then re-engage. You have a few options for that here. The most cost effective is to purchase a foam roller. I always advocate buying a 36” roller as they are more versatile for things like core work in addition to release work. You have the standard density option (which can be pretty intense for certain areas of the body) or a less dense, softer version. Amazon has everyone beat that I ever see in terms of price, a link to purchase here. And here’s a link to a previous video on how to use a foam roller on the inner thighs as well as a trigger point release for the pubic bone.

You can also use a theragun or other self-massager. Two of my favorite options are here for a more affordable version and here for a more versatile version, particularly for when we get into the pelvic floor releases in a couple episodes. There are attachments to the latter massager that make it easier to access smaller muscles and yield a more pinpointed release.

Lastly, I love cupping the outer thighs/IT band. It’s an easy thing to do as you watch TV and is not rocket science. Here’s a link to the cupping set I’ve used for years. Alternatively, you can foam roll your IT band, link on tips for that here.

So, massage/roll/cup the inner and outer thighs. We also do some work on the Quadratus Lumborum (QL) in this video. This muscle causes a lot of issues for a lot of people and is often tightened up on just one side, lending someone to be crooked. I find that it becomes that way, in part, because of weakness in the muscles targeted in this video.

Stretch

You can easily stretch your IT band/abductors by putting a towel around your foot and pulling your leg across your body. Alternatively, you can put one foot on a surface like a chair or couch and then twist your body over that extended leg. Try to drop the targeted butt cheek towards the floor as you stretch.

For the inner thighs/groin, here is a shortened version of my favorite stretch that is also in this video.

To stretch the QL, stand inside of a doorway, bring your inside leg forward and grab onto the doorframe—you’re bending over the direction of whichever leg is forward. So, right foot in front, you’re bending to the right to grab onto the doorframe. You can gradually add a twist of your chest towards the doorframe and you may feel this stretch go all the way down your back.

Activate

My preferred way to activate the abductors is a simple side leg lift, a la Jane Fonda. I find that this isolates them better than doing a side squat walk with a band around the thighs. In a squat walk, I feel like people load more into the quads. Here’s a link to a shorter version of what I’m talking about.

For the inner thighs, you can adduct the legs (bring them together) with them up on a wall or in the air. Here’s a version in the air, which works the core more. If your hamstrings are super tight, the wall might be better. You can also start with a more gentle version like this with the knees bent.

The QL is the ‘hip hiker’ muscle. If you stand on an elevated surface like a curb or even a yoga block, you would pull the hip up directly to your ear on that respective side. You’ll know which side is your weaker if that motion feels completely foreign to your brain.

Having good stability in these muscles is a critical piece to balance and therefore aging well. This means aging well for all genders. Some of my male clients talk about these machines in the gym and refer to them as the ‘chick machines’. Balance is for everyone, so don’t forget to target these just as much as squats and lunges in your workouts—stability in these muscles will make things like lunges easier. And, these are the struts to the pelvic bowl, so inner outer thigh strength is pelvic floor strength. Channel your inner Jane Fonda, y’all.