A Foley catheter is a narrow flexible tube usually made from silicone that is placed in your bladder through the urethra so that urine can drain into a drainage bag. It generally is used as a temporary measure during a medical problem. While a Foley catheter is in place, your body does not use its pelvic muscles to pass urine. Because of this, they may weaken. Once the Foley is removed, performing exercises that target your pelvic muscles can strengthen them.
The Pelvic Floor
The muscles of the pelvic floor resemble a hammock or a sling. The opening of the bladder, which is the urethra, passes through the pelvic floor. Your pelvic muscles are attached to your coccyx and extend to your pubic bone. It is the pelvic floor that supports the bladder and bowel in men; it lies under the prostate gland. The pelvic floor supports the uterus, bladder and bowel in women.
Major Muscles of the Pelvis Floor
The levator ani are muscles in the pelvic floor that are responsible for maintaining continence. These muscles surround the vagina, anal canal and urethra in women. In men, they surround the anal canal and urethra. The sphincter is responsible for the opening and closing of the urethra, where urine is expelled from. Men have two urinary sphincters, one known as the internal urinary sphincter, which is located in the bladder neck, and contracts involuntarily. The second is the external urinary sphincter, which is located under the prostate gland, at the base of the penis, and contracts voluntarily. In women, the external sphincter extends up to the bladder and surrounds both the urethra and the vagina.
Kegal Exercises
Kegel exercises can strengthen pelvic muscles after a Foley catheter has been removed. Kegel exercises were created by Dr. Arnold Kegel in 1948 to help women who suffered from stress urinary incontinence after childbirth. Kegel exercises can be performed by both women and men, and can be performed anywhere. They can be performed in your car, while at work or even while you're grocery shopping.
How To Do Kegel Exercises
After a Foley catheter has been removed, start performing kegel exercises immediately to strengthen your pelvic muscles. Kegel exercises are performed by contracting your pelvic muscles, the same muscles you squeeze when trying to stop a urine flow. Contract your muscles and hold the contraction for 6 seconds. Release your muscles for 6 seconds and repeat. Try to do 10 to 20 sets of this exercise daily.
Kegel Exercises for Men
If you are male and have a problem contracting your pelvic muscles, practice by trying to stop a urine flow mid-stream. The muscles you used to stop the flow are your pelvic muscles. Another way to know that you are performing them correctly is by seeing your testicles lift. It may take some time to notice this.
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