Kegel exercises are designed to help women combat urinary incontinence, enhance sexual pleasure and control their vaginal muscles during labor. Kegel exercises can also help men delay ejaculation during sex. It is very important to perform the exercises correctly so as not to injure yourself.
Types of Injuries
If you perform kegel exercises incorrectly, you may inadvertently strain muscles in your buttocks, back, thighs or abdominal muscles. You should not use any of these muscles to perform kegel exercises, so pain in these areas should signal a need to review proper techniques. You can also injure the muscles directly involved in kegel exercises -- your pubococcygeus, or PC, muscles. If you perform kegel exercises too frequently or when your bladder is full, you could strain your PC muscles and make yourself vulnerable to greater incontinence or urinary tract infections.
Avoiding Injuries
In order to avoid injuries from kegel exercises, it is important to learn how to isolate the correct muscles to squeeze. These are the muscles used to start and stop the flow of urine -- and you can learn to isolate these muscles by urinating and then attempting to hold in your urine. Practice holding in urine to find the proper muscles, but don't make it a habit. If you frequently stop urination while performing kegel exercises, you can weaken your PC muscles.
Finding PC Muscles
Women can also find the correct muscles to squeeze during kegel exercises by inserting a finger into their vaginas and squeezing until pressure is felt. Men can find their PC muscles by inserting a finger into their rectums and squeezing until pressure is felt. If you aren't able to find the correct muscles to squeeze, it is important to seek assistance from someone in the medical field in order to avoid injuries from squeezing the wrong muscles.
How to Perform Kegel Exercises
It's very important to breathe and remain relaxed while performing kegels. Begin by contracting your PC muscles for five seconds and relaxing them for five seconds. Repeat four to five times. Repeat the process three times a day. Aim to contract and release your PC muscles for 10 seconds four to five times per session, repeating three times a day, according to the Mayo Clinic. If pregnant, relax your PC muscles for twice the amount of time you squeeze them.
Medical Help
Kegel exercises are not designed to cause pain, so if you experience any pain, you should consult someone in the medical field for assistance. If you get headaches, this could mean that you are tensing your chest muscles and holding your breath while performing the exercises -- two things you should not be doing. It is also important to note that kegel exercises should not be done too quickly, as this could tense up rather than tone your PC muscles, leading to pain or injury.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Kegel Exercises Overview
- All About Sex: Sexual Health for Men and Women
- American Pregnancy Association: Kegel Exercises
- Kegel Exercise: Kegel Exercise to Stop Premature Ejaculation
- Kegels: Kegal Exercises for Women
- MayoClinic.com: Women's Health: Kegel exercises: A How-to Guide for Women
