Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercise is evidence-based training for the pelvic floor muscles.
Kegel exercises can:
- Strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
- Relieve pelvic organ prolapse symptoms
- Improve bladder and bowel control
- Promote recovery after prolapse surgery or hysterectomy
- Improve sexual sensation and arousal
Kegel Exercises Videos and Information
Kegel Exercises for Beginners
With over 2.5 MILLION YouTube views this video helps you start your pelvic floor exercises now
Best Position for Kegel Exercises
Here are the 4 best positions for doing your Kegel exercises when you're starting out
How Many Kegels
to do Daily
Learn how many Kegels to do for effective pelvic floor muscle strengthening
Quick Morning Kegels Workout
Get your day off to a great start with a full set of pelvic floor strengthening Kegel exercises
Kegel Exercises for Bladder Control
Learn how to do Kegel exercises to stop bladder leakage and improve bladder storage
5 Kegel Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these 5 common Kegel mistakes and do your exercises correctly with this quick Kegels video
Pelvic Floor Exercises Workout
AUdio DOWNLOAD and listen now
Strengthen your pelvic floor with daily Kegel exercises.
This evidence-based pelvic floor training workout guides you step by step towards a strong well functioning pelvic floor.
Presented by Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Michelle Kenway
Contents
Track 1 – Introduction to Successful Strengthening
Track 2 – Finding your Pelvic Floor
Track 3 – Feeling your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Track 4 – Using the Correct Pelvic Floor Exercise Technique
Track 5 – Beginners Pelvic Floor Exercises Workout
Track 6 – Intermediate Pelvic Floor Exercises Workout
Track 7 – Progressing and Maintaining your Strength
What are Kegel Exercises?
Kegels are also known as pelvic floor exercises. These exercises involve contracting and then relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. Women are advised to do Kegel exercises throughout life to maintain the strength and function of the pelvic floor muscles.
Benefits of Kegels
Kegel exercises have a number of benefits including:
- Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles
- Relieving pelvic organ prolapse symptoms
- Improving bladder and bowel control
- Promoting recovery after prolapse surgery or hysterectomy
- Improving sexual sensation and arousal
How to Feel Kegel Exercise
When performed using the correct technique, Kegels involve squeezing and lifting inward, in and around the three pelvic floor openings (vagina, urethra (urine tube) and anus (bowel opening).
When starting out some women can feel a definite contraction of their pelvic floor muscles. Other women may have great difficulty feeling their exercises and doing them correctly.
Exercise techniques to help you feel your pelvic floor muscles contracting:
- Stop or slow the flow of urine (use as a test and only once a week)
- Imagine you need to stop gas from passing and tighten around your anal sphincter
- Sit on an exercise ball during pelvic exercises
- Sit on a rolled up towel during pelvic exercises
- Use your fingers to feel your pelvic floor muscles
- Use a hand mirror to see your pelvic openings contract inwards
How to do Kegel Exercise
Follow these steps to exercise your pelvic floor muscles:
- Feel your pelvic floor muscles in and around your urethra, vagina and anus
- Squeeze and lift your pelvic floor openings inwards
- Keep squeezing and lifting your pelvic openings for up to 10 seconds
- Breathe normally throughout your pelvic floor exercise
- Slowly release your pelvic floor muscle muscles back to resting
- Relax your pelvic floor muscles by breathing into your belly for up to 2 minutes
Allow your pelvic floor to rest and recover before repeating this exercise again
How Many Kegel Exercises
For best results it’s important to do the correct number of Kegels.
Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles by:
- Contracting your pelvic floor muscles up to 10 seconds
- Repeat these contractions up to 8-12 times in a row for one complete set of exercises
- Relax and rest your pelvic floor muscles between every effort
- Aim to complete 3 sets of pelvic exercises throughout the day
Physiotherapy Tips for Pelvic Floor Strengthening
- Try to practice Kegel exercises every day
- Focus on using the correct technique
- Position you body where you best feel your muscles working
- Make your exercises progressively stronger as your technique improves
- Allow for 5-6 months of ongoing pelvic floor training to fully strengthen your pelvic floor if they’re weak.
References
1. Balmforth J. and Bidmead J. et al (2004) Raising the tone: a prospepective observational study evaluating the effect of pelvic floor muscle training on bladder neck mobility and associated improvement in stress urinary incontinence (abstract 111). Neurology and Urodynamics 23 (5) pp. 553-554.
2. Hay-Smith E. and Bo Berghmans L. et al (2001) Pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1).
3. Graziottin A. (2007) Female Sexual Dysfunction. In K. Bo et al (Eds) Evidence-Based Physical Therapy for the Pelvic Floor (pp. 277-287). Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, Edinburgh.