The Pelvic Floor Is a Muscle That Breathes: Why the Thoracic Diaphragm Comes First
breathing core training diaphragm pelvic floor pelvic floor cueing pelvic organ prolapse pressure management Oct 17, 2026
Some random thoughts on the pelvic floor. First, a confession: I'm totally guilty of over-cueing a pelvic floor contraction during effort.
Why over-cueing can backfire
It feels safer, which can help someone trust their body. But ultimately it may be solidifying the dysfunction we're trying to undo.
A muscle that moves, or a muscle that breathes?
If we shift from thinking of the pelvic floor as a muscle that moves to a muscle that breathes, then relaxing it makes a whole lot more sense. Let muscles do their thing and diaphragms do their thing. They probably like it that way.
The thoracic diaphragm is king
So often in case studies and working with clients, I come back to the thought that the thoracic diaphragm is king. If you squeezed one side of a toothpaste tube and tried to shoot the toothpaste out of the other side, you'd be pretty frustrated. That's why I think about the thoracic floor and core before the pelvic floor.
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