Olympian goes viral for pelvic floor release using tongue

Article content

World-class athletes know a thing or two about their own bodies and the intricacies of getting them to perform at the highest levels.

Article content

U.S. Olympic steeplechase runner Colleen Quigley has gone viral for sharing her unique technique to release tension in her pelvic floor – involving her tongue.

Quigley shared the video on Instagram earlier this week with her 235,000 followers and certainly has tongues wagging.

“1000% the weirdest muscle release I’ve ever done but I swear it works,” she captioned the video, giving credit to chiropractor specialist Dr. Noah Moos. “Blame @dr.noahmoos for making us look foolish out here.”

Article content

Article content

In the video, Quigley takes off her tank top while standing on an outdoor track and uses it to grab her tongue.

She pulls her tongue out and moves it to the left, right, up and down. She then holds her tongue in each direction before switching angles.

“Sometimes you drool on yourself, just try to relax into it,” Quigley said in the clip, nothing that muscles in her jaw become immediately loose after using the tip.

The science behind the technique is correct: Tongues and jaws are both linked to the pelvis through the body’s myofascial system of connective tissues.

The athlete did admit that people often give her strange looks while she’s doing the exercise.

Article content

“So yeah, it’s kinda uncomfortable … and you look crazy doing it, insane,” she says in the video. “So, hope no one sees me.”

Some commenters were quick to make jokes while others were completely on board.

“OMG, you talking through the whole thing is hilarious,” one replied.

“I love how you are like ‘I hope no one sees me’ and then post it for everyone to see,” another joked.

“Hahahahaha this made me laugh so much. I love it. But I also know the research with therapy and tongue ties and how they cause tension in your body so it makes sense!” a third user commented, backing up Quigley.

Article content

Quigley competed at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro and is a member of the American team that holds the world record in the 4×1500 metre relay with Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Shelby Houlihan, set in 2020.

Article content