What Are Kegel Exercises & How Do They Help?

Kegel exercises help the pelvic floor muscles, which sustain the uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum, to get stronger. Exercises for the pelvic floor muscles, or Kegels, can be done at any time.

Your reproductive organs are housed in the region of your pelvis, which is located between your hips.

The pelvic floor is actually a collection of muscles and connective tissues that create a sling or hammock at the base of your pelvis. Your organs are kept in place by this sling. The difficulty in managing your bowels or bladder is one problem that can result from a weak pelvic floor.

Your pelvic floor muscles can get weaker due to a variety of conditions, such as pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, constipation, chronic coughing, being overweight, and exerting too much pressure on them.

Benefits of Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises are beneficial for both females and males.

The womb, bladder, and bowels are supported by the pelvic floor muscles. These pelvic organs may descend into the vagina of a woman if the muscles are weak. Urinary incontinence may result from this in addition to being exceedingly unpleasant.

Age-related weakening of the pelvic floor muscles in men is another possibility. Particularly if the guy has had prostate surgery, this might result in incontinence of both urine and feces.

1) Improved bladder control

Urine leakage is a common problem in women throughout pregnancy and after delivery. The danger is up if the child is born vaginally and increases if you've had more kids.

Kegel exercises can aid in the prevention or treatment of problems like urinary incontinence, which occurs when you have a strong desire to urinate and pass urine before you can reach the bathroom, or stress incontinence, which is characterized by urine leakage after coughing, laughing or sneezing.

2) Strengthened pelvic floor muscles

When the uterus, urethra, or bowel sinks down into the vagina after childbirth, the condition is known as pelvic organ prolapse.

This is due to the pelvic floor muscles being weaker during pregnancy and vaginal delivery, which results in inadequate support for the pelvic organs. Your physician might advise Kegel exercises as a component of your treatment approach.

3) Decreased possibility of fecal incontinence

This condition makes it such that you leak feces before you reach the bathroom. Kegel exercises can help avoid this by strengthening the rectal muscles.

You can improve your capacity to relax and control your pelvic floor muscles in advance of labor and delivery by strengthening them while you are pregnant. Kegels, which stretch the perineal tissue after a vaginal birth, can aid in the healing process throughout the postpartum period.

How to Perform Kegels Exercise

Follow the below-mentioned steps to perform this exercise:

• Your legs should be about shoulder-width apart when you sit, stand, or lie down.
• Slowly contract the muscles in the anus region to simulate trying to hold your breath. It's important to constantly target this region because it contains the most pelvic floor muscle.
• Next, contract the muscles in and around your genitalia. It may feel awkward at first but imagine "sucking up" your muscles.
• Hold both for five seconds, holding them both firmly.
• Take five seconds to unwind, then do it five more times.

Tips to Remember

Follow these recommendations to maximize the benefits of performing Kegel exercises:

Avoid performing Kegels while urinating since this could prevent your bladder from completely emptying. The goal is to pretend to cease urinating while actually not doing so by contracting your muscles. You could possibly develop a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Maintain a relaxed posture while exhaling normally and without holding your breath.

Don't go overboard. It's common to experience some soreness in the pelvic region after beginning these workouts, but if you experience pain, stop and consult your doctor.

Regularly performing these exercises is crucial. Regular exercise requires repetition to become stronger, just like other exercises. They must be performed daily for a minimum of 15 weeks. Any routine modifications should be discussed with your doctor.