Pelvic floor exercises have been a hot topic for a while now. You’ve probably seen articles, TikTok videos, and Instagram posts touting the benefits of moves like Kegels as the key to better sex and preventing urinary incontinence. But what you’ve probably never seen is anyone… sticking out their tongue? Until now. Colleen Quigley, who skated for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics, recently posted a video on Instagram in which she pulls her tongue in different directions to relax her jaw, thereby releasing tension in her pelvic floor.

“1000% the weirdest muscle relaxer I’ve ever done but I swear it works. Blame it on @dr.noahmoos for making us look so ridiculous here 😛,” her caption reads. (Noah Moos, DC, is a chiropractor and works as a performance specialist for Olympic medalists like Quigley, long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall, sprinter Hunter Woodhall, and other members of the USA track and field team.)

In the video, Quigley grabs her tongue with her shirt and pulls it straight out, then to the left, then to the right, then up and down, holding her tongue in each position for a few seconds before moving on to the next. She says to try to relax as much as possible while doing this.

“This can help you relax the muscles in your jaw, and your jaw is connected to your pelvis via a fascial sling,” she says in the video.

And that’s true, says Cate Schaffer, PT, DPT, multi-site clinic director and pelvic floor therapist at ATI Physical Therapy.

You might also like

“Our pelvic floor and our jaw and tongue are connected by fascial developments that begin with embryonic development,” she tells Well+Good. “This means that everything we do with our mouths – eating, speaking, yawning – can be linked to our pelvic floor. In addition, the vagus nerve also has connections to the pelvic organs, tongue and our larynx. In short, everything is connected.”

“Everything we do with our mouths – eating, speaking, yawning – can be related to our pelvic floor.” – Cate Schaffer, PT, DPT

Grayson Wickham, PT, DPT, founder of stretching app Movement Vault, agrees.

“When it comes to connective tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments, everything is connected through fascia. There are fascial lines that wrap around the body in such a way that some parts of the body are more ‘connected’ to others,” he says. “The theory behind tongue stretching is that releasing tension in the jaw through tongue stretching can affect your pelvic floor because it’s connected through this fascial system.”

In fact, according to Dr. Schaffer, when there is tension in one area, there will usually be tension in the other area as well.

“When your jaw is tense or your breathing pattern changes, the similarities transfer to the pelvic floor, causing tension, poor coordination and possibly pain,” she says.

Although this tongue stretch works very well for Quigley, that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to work for everyone, says Dr. Schaffer.

“I think most people benefit more from better activating their pelvic floor muscles than from just passively sticking out their tongue and hoping that the tension in the pelvic floor will be released,” adds Dr. Wickham. “Does passively sticking out your tongue hurt? Most likely not. Is it the most effective way to strengthen your pelvic floor? Again, probably not.”

But if you want to try it, Dr. Schaffer recommends starting by gently pulling your tongue in different directions for a minute or two and then slowly relaxing. It can also be helpful to stretch or massage the cheek or temple muscles that connect to the jaw, she says.

“Long-term muscle changes typically take six to eight weeks, but you may notice relaxation in your jaw, neck or pelvic floor after just a few days of regular practice,” says Dr. Shaffer.