Having a tight pelvic floor can affect your life on a daily basis. When your pelvic muscles can't relax, they can’t coordinate the control of certain bodily functions which can lead to issues with urination, bowel movements, and intercourse. If you have a tight pelvic floor, you may experience aching or pressure in the pelvic area, and even pain in the lower back and hips.

Working with a professional pelvic floor physical therapist can help reduce pelvic floor tightness, however, there are a few exercises you can try at home to reduce the pain or discomfort. Keep reading to learn a few ways women and men can relax your pelvic floor muscles at home.

How Do I Know If My Pelvic Floor is Tight?

Pelvic floor tension (also called “hypertonic pelvic floor”) occurs when the pelvic muscles are overactive, and as a result, the muscles get too tight to the point when they can’t relax, causing an inability to control certain bodily functions.

Often, a tight pelvic floor results from an active lifestyle, especially if you lift heavy, and you haven’t learned how to manage that intra abdominal pressure, your pelvic floor can overcompensate or “forget” when and how to relax.

I’ve personally treated athletes for pelvic floor tightness in person – it’s so much more common than you might think!

Here are a few signs your pelvic floor could be tight:

Urinary incontinence (leakage)
Frequent urge to pee
Difficulty fully emptying the bladder
Pelvic Pain
Pain during intercourse
Painful periods
Tailbone pain

Pelvic floor exercises work to reduce your symptoms.

At-Home Exercises to Address a Tight Pelvic Floor

How can you try solving this issue on your own? Here are three great stretches you can do right at home to relax your pelvic floor muscles, with no equipment required.

Butterfly Stretch

This exercise loosens up your inner thighs and hips and works your pelvic floor, reducing tension and pelvic pain.

Pigeon Pose

Tight hip flexors can cause tension on the pelvic floor. This stretch relaxes the hips and lower back. It opens the hips while stretching your thighs, groin, and back, relieving tension in the pelvic floor.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Tight hip flexors can cause tension on the pelvic floor. The hip flexor stretch loosens your hip flexors, preventing them from tightening up due to long periods of sitting down.

Happy Baby

The happy baby pose works on relaxing the pelvic floor, stretching the muscles of the hips and pelvis. It can relieve tension, pain and discomfort caused by a tight pelvic floor.

Other Tips & Techniques

Try relaxation techniques to reduce stress

Practice mindfulness
breathing exercises like diaphragmatic breathing

Get a good night's sleep
Consider vaginal dilator therapy
Work with a pelvic floor physical therapy for manual therapy techniques and support

Closing Out: Solving Your Pelvic Floor Tightness

If you’ve tried the exercises included in this article, and find symptoms are still there, it may be time for professional help. A pelvic floor physical therapist specializes in pelvic health, which includes solving tightness in the pelvic floor.

Alpha Project Phyzio & Performance provides pelvic floor therapy in Maryland, with locations in Columbia, Frederick and Gaithersburg. We create a personalized plan to help you take control of your health and feel more confident and empowered in your workouts, movements, and life.

How to Relax Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles at Home