How to do Kegel Exercises and Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles

A Kegel is an exercise that tightens and releases the pelvic floor muscles. This exercise can be used by men and women to improve urinary incontinence and sexual satisfaction. The best thing about Kegel exercises is that they can be done anywhere at any time with no extra equipment needed.

What is a Kegel?

A Kegel is a targeted exercise that works the pelvic muscles and improves the muscles of the pelvic floor. Many women experience weakened pelvic floor muscles because of pregnancy, giving birth, aging, diabetes, menopause or obesity. The weakening of the pelvic floor muscles can lead to urinary and fecal incontinence. Kegel exercises can strengthen the pelvic muscles, which can help prevent or reverse urinary or fecal incontinence.

Kegel exercises were developed in 1948 by Dr. Arnold Kegel. He found that women could dramatically improve urinary incontinence by faithfully doing Kegel exercises. He taught many women to use the Kegel exercises for this purpose. Dr. Kegel later discovered that Kegel exercises can also improve sexual satisfaction. Women have been using the exercise ever since to improve vaginal muscle tone, heal urinary incontinence and increase sexual satisfaction.

A Kegel exercise strengthens the pubococcygeus muscles (muscles of the pelvic floor) by using a series of contracting and releasing of the muscles. These exercises can be used to improve their muscle tone during pregnancy in order to prevent urinary incontinence and to ensure an easier labor and delivery.

How to do Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises can be done at any time and are easy to perform. First, it's important to find the right muscle. This can be done by urinating, and while urinating, using your pelvic floor muscles to stop the flow of urine. Those are the muscles to strengthen. In order to perform a kegel, empty the bladder completely, and then get in a comfortable position (sitting or lying down is best). Tighten the pelvic muscles and hold for three seconds. Relax the muscles, then repeat 10 times. Once you're comfortable doing this, you can increase the time you hold the Kegel. You can work up to holding the kegel for 10 seconds at a time.

Kegel exercises should be done from one to three times daily in order to be most effective. They should be done after emptying the bladder, since doing them with a full bladder can actually make urinary incontinence worse. When Kegel exercises are done regularly, it takes from 8 to 12 weeks to see results.

published 2 years ago

hollijo

202 points