Why your pelvic floor needs you to stretch!

Why Lateral Stretching and Thoracic Rotation Matter! 

When we think of pelvic floor health, most minds go straight to Kegels or core strength. Fair. But as any good pelvic physio will tell you—it’s not all about the squeeze. In fact, it’s often what’s happening outside the pelvic floor that matters just as much as what’s going on inside.

Let’s talk about two important factors for pelvic mobility and function: lateral hip movement and thoracic rotation.

Lateral Stretching: Giving the Pelvic Floor Room to Breathe

The pelvic floor doesn’t operate in isolation. It works with the glutes, adductors, deep hip rotators, and obliques—creating a dynamic pressure system. But here’s the kicker: most of our daily movement (and even our rehab) is sagittal. Forward and backward. Rarely do we move side-to-side, and even less often do we stretch that way.

Lateral hip stretches—think side lunges, 90/90s, or even wide-knee child’s pose variations—help open up the pelvic outlet from a musculoskeletal perspective. The external rotators, abductors (like the glute med), and adductors have fascial and functional ties to the internal pelvic floor musculature.

Here’s where it gets cool: muscles like the obturator internus are both internal AND external players. It lines the pelvic wall but is also part of the external hip rotation team. Stretching the hip laterally impacts this muscle, which in turn influences pelvic floor tone, tension, and coordination.

Thoracic Rotation: What role does it play?

Now, if your hips are the bottom of your movement chain, your thoracic spine is the top. Rotation through the thoracic spine (mid-back) is crucial for walking, running, breathing—and yes, even pooping.

Without sufficient thoracic mobility, we compensate in the lower back and pelvis. Cue dysfunction. Rotational restrictions can down-regulate diaphragmatic breathing (which partners with the pelvic floor), cause asymmetrical pelvic loading, and create imbalances in intra-abdominal pressure.

By incorporating thoracic rotation drills (think open books, thread-the-needle, and half kneeling windmills), you might help improve the communication between your breath, core, and pelvic floor.

In short: your pelvis likes to move three-dimensionally!

If you’re struggling with pelvic tension, tailbone pain, leaking, or feeling stuck in your body—don’t just double down on Kegels or give up. Zoom out.

Stretch laterally. Rotate up top. Reclaim the movement your body was designed for.

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