Kegel exercises for pelvic floor recovery

How can you recover your pelvic floor? Are Kegel exercises the most effective solution?

You've probably heard of the pelvic floor quite a few times in recent years. Increasing importance is being placed on the recovery of this area of the body, which suffers so much throughout a woman's life.

Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, chronic cough or constipation, continuous efforts to lift excessive loads or being overweight in the most extreme cases cause the pelvic floor to, responsible for closing the pelvic abdominal cavity to prevent genital prolapse -that is, the pelvic organs move outwards-, lose tone and stamina.

We are talking about a kind of fabrics –fasciae– and ligaments that support the genital and urinary tracts. This containment system is also completed with an ani levator that keeps the urogenital system closed. Thus, pelvic floor disorders can result not only in urination dysfunction, genital prolapse, or chronic pelvic pain, but also in anorectal dysfunctions, such as fecal incontinence or terminal constipation.

The deterioration of the pelvic floor affects well-being so much that it is essential to seek specialist advice to apply the most convenient treatment(s) and what better and faster return the quality of life to women.

In this sense, we find different techniques, among which the following stand out: Kegel exercises.

Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises were conceived or devised by Dr. Arnold Kegel. His goal was to treatment of urinary incontinence that women in the mid-20th century already suffered regularly. Over time, the effectiveness of this same practice was discovered to recover vaginal muscle tone after childbirth and improve intimate relationships.

But the benefits of Kegel exercises don't stop there. They have also been shown to help maintain proper pelvic floor muscle tone, thus, prevent overload what happen During pregnancy. It also allows reduce possible adverse effects of childbirth, and therefore acts directly on the prevention of the common genital prolapses and postpartum incontinence.

Kegel exercises: proper technique

Kegel exercises are very simple and any woman can do them at home, especially when applied preventively.

However, we recommend that you go to a specialist in Pelvic floor physiotherapy after each birth, including caesarean sections. There is also a high level of scientific evidence that recommends pelvic floor physiotherapy as the first line of action in cases of mild or moderate urinary incontinenceIt is also highly recommended to act through Physiotherapy in the event of genital prolapse, Pain during sexual intercourse, fecal incontinence, cases of terminal constipation…

Pregnant woman performing balance exercises

This technique simply consists of the contraction and relaxation of the levator ani muscles. Almost the most complicated part of the whole process is locating this muscle that runs from the pubis to the coccyx.

How do you know if you are doing a good contraction of the levator ani?

To do this, you can perform as a recognition test the 'stop pee' test. When you urinate, let a small stream of urine flow out and then hold it. Remember that this is a test to identify your muscles and give you a rough idea of your muscle tone. It's very important. Do not perform Kegel exercises during urination, since stopping urine can cause urinary tract infections.

Once this muscle is located, the following sequences will be performed:

Quick sequence:

It consists of contracting the levator ani at a rate of 1 second contraction and 3 seconds relaxation. 15 repetitions.

Slow sequence:

This consists of a moderate contraction of the levator ani muscle. Count for 5 seconds and then relax for another 5. Repeat 15 times.

To maintain a good state of the pelvic floor muscles, series of each sequence will be performed, alternating fast and slow, 3 times a day.

If you had any pelvic floor pathology, it would be advisable to go to an assessment of Physiotherapy specialized in the pelvic floor. Problems that involve muscle weakness, such as stress incontinence, are very well resolved with a personalized rehabilitation treatment guided by a specialist based on each person's muscular capacity and associated specific characteristics.

If, on the other hand, it is a problem that occurs with a increased pathological tone, drill they would be contraindicated as a first measure.

In case of prevention and maintenance of the state of the muscles of a healthy pelvic floor, it is also very important try to pre-contract the muscles whenever making an effort. That is, before coughing, lifting weights, getting up from a chair...

Kegel exercises are highly effective and will significantly improve your pelvic well-being.

Kegel exercises for pelvic floor recovery