What are Kegels and who needs them?
Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises, help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Your pelvic floor supports organs in your pelvis, like your bladder and bowels. Kegels involve tightening and releasing the muscles in your pelvic floor to strengthen them.
Anything that puts stress on the muscles of your pelvic floor can cause them to weaken, which can include:
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth, including a C-section
- Surgery in your pelvic area
- Getting older
- Constipation
How do I do a Kegel?
When performing a Kegel exercise, it should feel like two movements happening at once:
- Squeeze, like the closing of your urethra to hold in urine
- Lift inward, like you are pulling your pelvic floor toward your head
To do a Kegel well, you need to be able to relax your pelvic floor from the “squeeze” and "lift" position back to your resting position. Start by doing a few Kegels at a time, then gradually increase the length of time and the number of Kegels you do in each “session”. You should aim to do 30-60 repetitions of this exercise each day.
Often times, men and women struggle to sense if they are getting a true muscle contraction in this area because it is a small movement and hard to feel. If you are struggling to control your pelvic floor muscles, other muscles often try to assist in the movement like your glutes, your abs, or your inner thigh muscles.
If you are practicing on your own and still having trouble, a pelvic floor physical therapist can assist you in learning how to control your pelvic floor muscles. With improved awareness and coordination in this area, you can see improvements in symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction like urinary leakage, pain, constipation, and more.
What if I'm still experiencing pelvic floor problems?
Sometimes controlling your pelvic floor is not limited by your ability to do a Kegel, but instead by your resting tissue tension. If your pelvic floor muscles are tight and unable to relax fully, then they struggle to perform their essential functions similar to a weak pelvic floor.
A pelvic floor physical therapist can tell you if your pelvic floor has increased resting tissue tension that may be affecting your symptoms and what to do about it.
If you are unsure if you’re doing a pelvic floor contraction correctly or experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction – there is nothing to be ashamed of – it’s more common than you might think. If any of the information above resonates with you or describes your symptoms, schedule with our pelvic floor physical therapists online or by calling 515.875.9706.