Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor. Strong pelvic muscles reduce your chance of stress urinary incontinence, or accidentally releasing urine when you cough or sneeze. The best Kegel exercise program takes into account proper technique and repetitions of the exercises.
Pelvic Floor
Kegel exercises strengthen the hammock of muscles that make up your pelvic floor. These muscles support your uterus, bladder and bowel and can be stretched or weakened due to pregnancy, childbirth, obesity or age. Chronic coughing and a history of smoking cigarettes also increases your risk of pelvic floor weakness. You can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles through exercise.
Kegel Technique
Engage your pelvic floor muscles by squeezing as though you are trying to stop your urine or prevent passing gas. Imagine your pelvic floor as a figure eight and focus on tightening the floor as a single unit, squeezing the circle of muscles that support your vagina and the circle of muscles that support your anus at the same time. Avoid holding your breath or squeezing your buttocks or your abdominal muscles. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles for a count of 10 and then relax them for a count of 10.
Program
Like other muscles in your body, you may need to start slowly and increase your program as you gain strength. Try to hold your Kegel for a count of 10, but if you cannot, hold it as long as you can and try to beat your record each day until you can hold it for a 10 count. Work up to 10 tighten and release episodes three times a day.
Warnings
When you try to isolate your pelvic floor muscles for the first time, you can try to stop your flow of urine. After that, avoid starting and stopping your urine flow. Perform your Kegels with your bladder empty. If you are not sure that you are performing Kegels correctly, see your health-care provider. She can evaluate your technique in the office and may refer you for biofeedback or specialized pelvic floor therapy as necessary.
