Kegel exercises are generally prescribed for chronic incontinence, and can be practiced by virtually anyone without equipment, lessons, or coaching. They involve the repeated contraction of the pubococcygeus muscle, the muscle that lines the floor of the pelvis and which can help to control the flow of urine in men and women. This is, in fact, the most common reason for undertaking a Kegel program.
To perform the contractions, you must first find the pubococcygeus muscle. To do so, try while urinating to cut off the flow. To do so, you should have to contract the muscle that runs along the stretch between your genitals and rectum. Once you've identified the muscle, you exercise it by contracting it according to whichever variation of the exercise you prefer or which is recommended to you. "Elevator" Kegels involve slowly and incrementally tightening the muscles. Other variations involve holding the muscle tight for five, ten, or fifteen seconds; still others involve pushing the muscle to a bulge. A physical therapist or physician may instruct you on the best form of treatment for you, or may provide you with a variety of options.
Stress incontinence is one of the leading reasons for undertaking a Kegel program. This involves the tendency, especially in women, to urinate accidentally (usually in small amounts) when laughing, sneezing, or undergoing strenuous activity. This is a common condition that tends to become more common in older women, but which can affect women of any age or health. Surgery and medications may in some more extreme cases be used to treat the condition, but Kegel exercises are the typical treatment.
Kegel exercises may also help to strengthen the perineum in women, something that can lead to a much more comfortable recovery from childbirth, as the tearing of the perineum can be excruciatingly painful. The conditioning of these muscles may also help to speed up the process of a healthy birth, as contraction and elasticity (the return to normal shape) of the muscles and tissue can be greatly improved with practice. Kegels may be beneficial even after the birth of a child, as they may help with the speedy recovery of the vaginal and perineal tissues, which take a heavy strain from the stretching undergone during childbirth.
These exercises may also help to curb the severity of uterine prolapse, the drop of the uterus into the lower abdomen, which often results in the extrapolation of the cervix into the vaginal cavity. Urinary difficulty, infection, and sexual pain may result from prolapse of the uterus, making it potentially serious and significantly uncomfortable. This condition is often caused by excessive weakness of the pelvic muscles and connective tissues, a condition that Kegel contractions can help to resolve.
Your physician may recommend you to a physical therapist, who will help to instruct you in the finer aspects of Kegel exercise, but this basic information is all one really needs to begin. Be sure to consult your doctor before undergoing any serious exercise, especially if one has a pre-existing condition such as uterine prolapse, as specific aspects of your condition may possibly contraindicate Kegel exercise.
