6 Essential Stretches To Relieve Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles
Added 2025-03-26 12:37:01 +0000 UTCHere are the best 6 stretches to try for pelvic pain and pelvic floor muscle tightness. Give 'em a try and let me know what you think!
Persistent pelvic floor muscle tension and tightness can feel really uncomfortable. This may contribute to or worsen pelvic floor issues such as pelvic pain, sexual pain, urinary incontinence, difficulty peeing or pooping, and sexual dysfunction.
In this video, I’m going to walk you through my favorite 6 essential yoga-inspired stretches to relieve tight and painful pelvic floor muscles.
Try these out and let me know how it went in the comments below.
🙂↔️ Not dealing with a crabby pelvic floor? Try these moves out for fun—remember motion is lotion!
Comments
Hey Tim! There are no hard-and-fast rules on how long to hold or how many reps—personally, I like to go with my breath, holding each stretch for about 5–10 breaths. If it feels yummy, go ahead and linger a little longer. Totally a choose-your-own-adventure vibe. 😉 You’ve got the freedom to fit these in however it works best for you. Some folks like starting their day with them, others use them as a wind-down before bed, and some sprinkle them throughout the day. Whatever feels most supportive for your routine. As for “clinical improvement,” that depends on what you’re looking for. Some people notice they feel more relaxed or have a greater sense of ease in their body afterward. Stretching isn’t about structurally changing the muscle—it’s a neurophysiological experience. It gives your nervous system new sensory input, which can help down-regulate protective responses like muscle guarding or pain. It’s less about “fixing” and more about creating a different conversation between your brain and body.
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-28 16:07:16 +0000 UTCGreat question! A few characteristics of potential tight pelvic floor muscles are: noticing clenching, involuntary spasms or twitching, pressure/heaviness/golf ball sensation in rectum, scrotum sitting higher or tighter than usual, difficulty initiating or completing a bowel movement, hesitancy or pushing to urinate, pain with sex or difficulty reaching orgasm, and sometimes pelvic pain or ache.
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-28 15:57:05 +0000 UTCCOOL!!! We do all of these movements or variations of them in barre class either as warm-ups or cool downs!!! I have also been taking breathwork classes and it's amazing how much your breathing can calm or hype up your body!!! Calm slow easing breaths can tell and lead your body into relaxing and telling your body its safe and ok to do any particular movement helping to ease into it!!! My only questions is HOW do you tell or know if your pelvic floor muscles are tight?? Is it because pain is involved or are there other markers of tightness?? Glad to know I am doing these movements on a regular basis in barre class!!
DVM-David
2025-03-28 05:40:21 +0000 UTCThe 1st and 2nd I use often. The 4 I like the modifies will try. That 6th looks like a doozy!
Robert C.
2025-03-28 02:31:16 +0000 UTCThank you Dr. Susie for making the video and posting very helpful. I just have a few questions. 1. Do you have recommended number of seconds to hold the stretches and number of reps? 2. Is there preferred time in the day to do them? Eg: morning VS night? 3. From your experience, how long does it take to see clinical improvement? 4. I tried doing them, but I don't have nearly same the type of flexibility that you, especially in the last stretch lol...
Tim Kirk
2025-03-27 20:32:19 +0000 UTCYou're welcome, Adam!
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-27 16:11:03 +0000 UTCGreat stretches Dr. Susie, really appreciate these demonstrations!
Adam M.
2025-03-27 01:42:27 +0000 UTCAwesome! Yes, sans food in mouth, haha.
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-26 18:07:06 +0000 UTCOkay, I tried the straddle and it looks doable. Unfortunately I tried it while I was swallowing a mouth full of breakfast. Not a good idea. Not as flexible as I was in the past so this is a good one.
Guy (works)
2025-03-26 17:45:53 +0000 UTCI'll have to try the straddle with bend. That is probably pretty challenging and good for balance. My PFT had me doing the Child Pose, Butterfly Pose and Happy Baby. Like I said before, the Baby wasn't too happy the first few times. They were super helpful in learning to relax the muscles. It's interesting to feel that my perineal area feels like a balloon when I'm breathing in these poses.
Guy (works)
2025-03-26 16:40:21 +0000 UTCHmm that's interesting because I can play it straight from the Patreon platform. Is anyone else having trouble viewing this video?
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-26 15:42:55 +0000 UTCBummer, It's telling me Sorry This video does not exist.
RJ S
2025-03-26 15:20:18 +0000 UTCYou're very welcome!
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-26 14:56:06 +0000 UTCLove this video Dr. Susie! I do several of these daily and now going to add the deer pose. Stretching is the key to keeping healthy! Thank you !
MountainMan
2025-03-26 14:05:02 +0000 UTCGotta have Mr D in the background! haha
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-26 12:53:17 +0000 UTCYasss girl! Thanks. xo
susie@drsusieg.com
2025-03-26 12:52:56 +0000 UTCYou go girl!!
Jenniewaifu
2025-03-26 12:44:25 +0000 UTCYaaas these are great!!! I like Mr D in the back on the couch just hanging out and learning too! Hehehehe
Jenniewaifu
2025-03-26 12:44:20 +0000 UTC
