The connected pelvic bones and the muscles that surround them form a support structure for the body organs in the lower abdomen, especially the bladder and male and female reproductive organs. Most exercise regimes don't strengthen deep pelvic muscles. With age and childbearing, pelvic muscles weaken. Organs can prolapse when the support becomes lax, and incontinence and pelvic asymmetry can occur. Pelvic area exercises can help mitigate symptoms.
Kegels
Kegel exercises target the pubococcygeus, or PC, muscle. The PC is the major pelvic floor support. The PC spasms during ejaculation in men and during orgasm in women. The PC is also responsible for shutting down urine flow -- interrupting the flow of urine is one way to identify the PC muscle when learning the Kegel maneuver. To perform a Kegel, tighten the PC, hold for 2 seconds, relax and repeat 10 to 25 times. Do this several times a day. A study done at Rush University Medical Center reported 83 percent of women aged 67 to 95 had improved continence after doing Kegels regularly for six weeks.
Pelvic Symmetry Exercise
During pregnancy and childbirth, many ligaments in the pelvic area become softer and looser, allowing the pelvic girdle to expand during childbirth. If the bones become misaligned while the ligaments are still soft, pelvic muscles and nearby organs can become distorted or mispositioned. In "Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy," Cecile Röst describes exercises to restore pelvic symmetry. The basic exercise involves lying flat with knees bent and feet together. Next, bend your knees away from each other and as far to the sides as possible with the soles of the feet touching each other at the body midline. Finally, relax tension in the hip joints.
Pelvic Clock
This exercise targets abdominal, pelvic and lower back muscles. Begin by lying flat with legs bent and lower legs raised to rest on a chair. Rest hands on the front of the pelvic bones with thumbs on the pelvis and fingers around the hips. Imagine a clock lying on your abdomen with 6 o'clock at the bottom and 12 o'clock at the top near your chest. Begin by arching the back so the pelvis is tilted toward the 6 o'clock position. Use only muscles in the pelvis and lower back; hold for five seconds. Repeat for the 12 o'clock position. Continue for five or six repetitions, resting 5 seconds between reps.
Japanese Exercises
Pelvic exercises are popular in Japan, where fitness experts have devised several exercises aimed at relieving tension in pelvic muscles. One of the exercises for correcting pelvic distortion involves lying flat, stretching straightened legs apart and then raising them 30 cm while breathing in. Another exercise starts with sitting on the floor, legs extended in front of the body. Pelvic muscles are used to walk the body slowly backward and forward while seated.
References
- Mercy Medical Center of Today: Kegel Exercises
- "Sexual Pleasure"; Barbara Keesling; 2005
- Science Daily: Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises Can Help Manage Urinary Incontinence in Older Women
- "The Post-Pregnancy Handbook"; Sylvia Brown, Mary Struck; 2003
- "Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy"; Ceciile Röst et al., 2006
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