How To Perform Kegel Exercises [PDF]

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HOW TO PERFORM KEGEL EXERCISES Published: January, 2011 To perform a Kegel, you first need to find your pelvic floor muscles and then repeatedly contract and relax them. Locate your pelvic muscles. Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas; in addition, you can pretend to tighten your vagina around a tampon. Both actions involve the pelvic muscles. You will feel a correct contraction more in the back than the front, like you are pulling the anal area in or stopping gas from escaping. Choose your position. You can start by lying on your back until you get the feel of contracting the pelvic floor muscles. Later, you can practice while sitting and standing as well. Practice contractions. Practice both short contractions and releases (sometimes called "quick flicks") and longer ones (gradually increasing the strength of the contraction and holding it at your maximum for up to 10 seconds). Mastering long contractions may take more practice. Consciously relax the muscles between each repetition, and hold the relaxation phase for the same amount of time as the contraction. Start by holding each one for 3 to 5 seconds, resting the same number of seconds between contractions. Build up to 10-second contractions, with 10 seconds of rest between contractions. Keep other muscles relaxed. When doing pelvic floor exercises, don't contract your abdominal, leg, or buttock muscles or lift your pelvis. Place a hand gently on your belly to detect unwanted abdominal action. Repetitions. Try to do at least 30 to 40 Kegels every day. It is more effective to spread the exercises throughout the day than to do them all at once. One simple starting regimen is to do 10 before getting out of bed, 10 standing after lunch, 10 in the evening while sitting watching TV, and another 10 before going

to sleep. You can do them at other times as well: in the car sitting at a stoplight, waiting for an elevator, or waiting in a grocery line. Other times. You can practice using these exercises to control urinary symptoms. If you have stress incontinence, tighten your pelvic floor muscles just before lifting, coughing, laughing, or whatever usually causes urine leakage. Do the same several times when you have the urge to urinate and doubt you are going to make it to the toilet. This should relax your bladder muscle so you can walk to the toilet under control. Be consistent. Practice consistently, using whatever schedule works for you. It may take a few months for you to notice an improvement in your symptoms.

NOT JUST FOR WOMEN: KEGEL EXERCISES GOOD FOR MEN TOO POSTED FEBRUARY 06, 2017

Matthew Solan Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch Most exercises are considered gender neutral. Except for kegels — those exercises that strengthen pelvic floor muscles. They have long been tagged as “just for women,” but older men may be wise to reconsider as they can help with some common unpleasantries that can come with age. “Men can also have

issues with these muscles, which can cause urinary leakage, bowel issues, and even erection problems,” says physical therapist Celia Brunette with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. What is the pelvic floor? Your pelvic floor area is made up of thin layers of muscle and tissues that stretch like a sling from your tailbone to your pubic bone. It does a lot every day. The muscles’ primary job is to support the abdomen, bladder, and colon, and help with urine and bowel movements. In men, these muscles also are activated during erections, orgasms, and ejaculations. Problems can arise when pelvic floor muscles become too weak or too tight. Weakness can happen because of age, as with other muscles, but other causes include bladder, bowel, or prostate surgery, constipation, and chronic coughing from conditions like asthma, bronchitis, or smoking. Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to stress incontinence where urine leaks when you cough, sneeze, or are participating in an activity like lifting something heavy or even hitting a golf or tennis ball. On the other end, tight pelvic floor muscles can result from prolonged sitting, general muscle tension and stress, and even musculoskeletal problems with your back and hips. A tense pelvic floor is like trying to open your fist after keeping it clenched all day. “It would be very hard to relax your grip, and you would lose function of your hand,” says Brunette. These tight muscles often can trigger pelvic pain, urgent and frequent needs to urinate, leakage, incomplete emptying, or straining during bowel movements. You also may suffer from sudden pain in your low back, hips, or genital area, or have pain during and after intercourse. How kegels work “Pelvic floor muscles are treated like with other muscles,” says Brunette. “If you strain your back, you massage and stretch the muscles to get them healthy. The same approach applies here.” Kegels can be performed while lying down, sitting, or standing,

and unlike other exercises, the movements and sensations are subtle. Imagine how you would stop the flow or urine, or to hold back gas. The goal with kegels is to contract and hold only those muscles and not rely on other muscles like the abdomen or buttocks. Don’t go it alone Brunette says you should not try kegels on your own at first because if not performed correctly, the exercises could make muscles worse, or not help at all. Talk with your doctor to make sure there are no medical issues related to your symptoms, such as prostate problems or a urinary tract infection. If your doctor recommends kegels, he or she can direct you to a physical therapist who can evaluate your needs and design an individual program. A typical routine consists of a set amount of “hold” time, followed by adequate rest between reps. “The therapist teaches you how to perform the kegels and draws up a schedule to follow in terms of number of repetitions and sets, so you can then do them at home,” says Brunette.

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PERFORMING KEGEL EXERCISES Published: January, 2015 Doing Kegels right means find your pelvic floor muscles and working them. Kegel exercises won't help you look better, but they do something just as important — strengthen the muscles that support the bladder. Strong pelvic floor muscles can go a long way toward warding off incontinence. These exercises were developed in the late 1940s by Dr. Arnold H. Kegel, an American gynecologist, as a nonsurgical way to

prevent women from leaking urine. They also work for men plagued by incontinence. Although the exercises themselves are simple, finding the right muscles to exercises isn't. One-third or more of women and men who do Kegels are actually working their abdominal, buttock, or inner thigh muscles. They don't reap the benefits of the exercises.

Locate your pelvic muscles Several techniques can be used to find the right set of muscles to exercise. Women: 

Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas.

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Pretend to tighten your vagina around a tampon.

Men: 

Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas.

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While urinating, try to stop your urine stream.

If you've identified the right muscles, you'll feel the contraction more in the back of the pelvic area than the front.

Practice contractions Choose your position. Start by lying on your back until you get the feel of contracting the pelvic floor muscles. When you have the hang of it, practice while sitting and standing.

Contract and relax 

Contract your pelvic floor muscles for 3 to 5 seconds.



Relax for 3 to 5 seconds.



Repeat the contract/relax cycle 10 times.

Keep other muscles relaxed. Don't contract your abdominal, leg, or buttock muscles, or lift your pelvis. Place a hand gently on your belly to detect unwanted abdominal action. Extend the time. Gradually increase the length of contractions and relaxations. Work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations Aim high. Try to do at least 30 to 40 Kegels every day. Spreading them throughout the day is better than doing them all at once. Since these are stealth exercises that no one notices but you, try to sneak in a few when waiting at a stoplight, riding an elevator, or standing in a grocery line. Diversify. Practice short, 2 to 3 second contractions and releases (sometimes called "quick flicks") as well as longer ones.

Kegels in an emergency If you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, bend over, or lift something heavy (stress incontinence), doing one or more Kegels before a "trigger" may be enough to prevent any leakage. If you have the urge to urinate and doubt you are going to make it to the toilet, doing Kegels may get you safely to a restroom.