What are Kegel, or pelvic muscle, exercises?
Pelvic muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises or pelvic floor exercises, have been shown to improve mild to moderate urge and stress incontinence. When performed correctly, these exercises help to strengthen the muscles at your bladder outlet. Through regular exercise you can build strength and endurance to help improve, regain, or maintain bladder and bowel control. How to find and recognize the muscles Imagine that you need to hold back gas. Squeeze and lift the rectal area, and for women also the vaginal area, without tightening the buttocks or belly (abdomen). When you first begin your exercise program, check yourself frequently by looking in a mirror or by placing your hands on your abdomen and buttocks to insure that you do not feel your belly, thighs, or buttocks move. If there is movement, continue to experiment until you have isolated the correct muscles of the pelvic floor. Another technique used only to help you identifying the correct pelvic muscles is to attempt to
Pelvic muscle exercises, also called Kegel or pelvic floor exercises, have been shown to improve mild to moderate urge and stress incontinence. When performed correctly, these exercises help to strengthen the muscles at your bladder outlet as well as your stool outlet. Through regular exercise you can build strength and endurance to help improve, regain, or maintain bladder and bowel control. After pelvic pouch surgery, the pelvic floor muscles may become weakened. These muscles extend from the spine to the pubic bone. The pelvic floor muscles can be envisioned as a hammock with several gaps that allow for the birth canal as well as the passage of urine and feces. With surgery, these muscles can be stretched and weakened with resultant sagging of the hammock and enlargement of the gaps. These muscles should be strengthened by performing Kegel exercises. To perform Kegel exercises, imagine that you need to hold back gas. Squeeze and lift the rectal area, and for women also the vaginal a
