Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy at Home
With a busy schedule, you may be wondering if you can do pelvic floor physical therapy at home to treat your urinary incontinence.
Kegel exercise is one of the most important things you can do to improve your urinary and reproductive health. Incontinence affects 1 in 3 women, and Kegel exercises for women are the first line of treatment. Similar to how planks tone core muscles, Kegels strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles control bladder contractions and pressure on the urethra. Kegel exercises for women are especially important to support reproductive organs and postpartum health. Strong pelvic floor muscles mean fewer trips to the bathroom, less bladder leakage, improved postpartum recovery, and bonus—more intense orgasms! But many women struggle with how to do a Kegel exercise correctly.
Kegels are easy to get wrong. About 30% of us do Kegels incorrectly because, unlike squats, we can’t use a mirror to check our form. Here’s how to do a Kegel exercise correctly, plus the most common reasons why Kegels don’t work.
Kegel exercises for women are the opposite motion of pushing outwards when delivering a child. A common mistake is bearing down with the same muscles as when you’re pooping. Instead, think about pulling inward, up through your spine toward your head. The simplest way to identify your pelvic floor muscles (i.e., Kegel muscles) is to stop the flow of urine mid-stream. It’s not good for your bladder to do this on a regular basis, but a few times can help identify the muscles used for Kegel exercises. If you have weak muscles, you may not be able to stop urine flow completely. This will improve as you tone your pelvic floor muscles.
Another trick is to imagine placing a weight in your vagina, then squeeze to not let it fall out. You can also put your finger in your vagina and practice squeezing around your finger. For those who need a little extra help, check out these Kegel exercise devices. In addition to vaginal probes and feedback tools, some devices can contract the correct muscles for you. These devices use gentle electrical stimulation to Kegels longer and stronger than you can on your own.
The correct form for Kegel exercises isolates the pelvic muscles to squeeze and strengthen them. In the beginning, try doing Kegels lying down so you’re not fighting gravity. Place one hand on your belly and breathe out. Keeping your butt, stomach, and thighs relaxed, contract your pelvic floor muscles—visualize pulling inward and toward your head, then hold that squeeze. It may help to have your knees bent, and even lift your butt off the ground. Don’t hold your breath!
If you don’t use it, you lose it. As with any muscle, pelvic floor muscles need to be worked out consistently. Try this Kegel routine:
As your pelvic floor muscles get stronger, you can slowly increase the intensity, duration, and frequency. Mastered this routine? Scroll down for Advanced Kegel Tips. As with any exercise, if you feel pain, you should talk to a medical professional.
To maximize your Kegel sessions, let’s dive a little deeper into the pelvic floor structure. Pelvic floor muscles consist of many crisscross layers that run in different directions. These muscle layers have holes in them. Yes, holes! The first hole wraps around the urethra (the bladder’s outlet) to allow urine flow. The second hole creates space for the vagina in women, and the third is around the anus. Most exercises just lift these areas. But there are ways to make your exercises more specific to the urethra, helping with bladder leakage.
There are different types of muscle fibers: fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles. Slow-twitch muscles help strengthen the whole pelvic floor, which includes toning the muscles that close your urethra. But when you sneeze, you need a fast reaction time, which is where fast-twitch muscles come in. By improving these fast-twitch muscles, they’ll be ready for sudden contractions, like sneezing or laughing.
To make the most of your Kegel sessions, add quick, short squeezes or pulses around the urethra. Combine these pulses with the longer Kegels by alternating the long and short holds, or add the pulses at the end of your regular Kegel set. Here’s an example of an advanced Kegel routine:
After you get the hang of how to do a Kegel exercise, try to fine-tune your pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles stretch from your pubic bone all the way to your tailbone, so it’s possible to contract one portion more than others. Stand up and lean slightly backward, then do a Kegel contraction. This exercise position focuses more on the muscles surrounding the anus. In contrast, lean forward as far as you can, then do another Kegel. The leaning forward position focuses more on strengthening the area around your urethra, ultimately helping stop bladder leakage.
When you exercise, remember to breathe! Holding your breath can impact incontinence. For example, if you hold your breath while doing an abdominal crunch, the motion causes pressure on your bladder. Lifting weights at high speeds, such as with kettlebells or during CrossFit, often does the same thing. (See what physical therapists say about a rise in incontinence in women doing CrossFit.) Before these types of exercises, do a Kegel before each bearing down event so you can offset the pressure. And breathe out!
Another tip is to lean forward slightly when exercising (see Try different positions above). For example, if you go jogging, lean forward (think Lean In!) slightly to naturally contract your pelvic floor around the urethra.
Kegels can be done discreetly anytime and anywhere, but they’re easy to forget! After you learn how to do a Kegel exercise, consistency is key to seeing the best results. Here are some ideas to incorporate Kegels into your daily routine so they become a habit:
While Kegel exercises are widely recommended for strengthening pelvic floor muscles, they may not be right for everyone or may not give you the results you’re looking for. If you’re struggling with how to do Kegel exercises, there are alternative options to help you target and tone the pelvic floor muscles.
Whether you are finding Kegels and other exercises to be ineffective for you, or simply struggling with establishing a consistent routine, you may be interested in alternative treatments.
Elitone offers a convenient and effective alternative to Kegel exercises for targeting the pelvic floor muscles. Elitone is an external device that uses neuromuscular stimulation to activate and tone the pelvic floor muscles, mimicking the effects of Kegel exercises without the need for manual effort. Elitone makes pelvic floor strengthening easy and accessible for all women.
If you’re struggling with how to do a Kegel exercise correctly or finding time for it, consider Elitone. Elitone does the work for you, gently stimulating longer and stronger Kegels than you can do on your own (100 contractions in 20 minutes). Wear Elitone like a maxi pad under your clothes while going about other tasks. The discreet device delivers just the right intensity and duration for maximum results.
I have tried Kegel exercises – when I think about doing them. Unfortunately, I have been very bad at keeping to a regime. Luckily, I have found a solution that “thinks” about strengthening the pelvic floor muscles for me! This unit is very comfortable to wear and I didn’t even notice a difference between this and a pad. In fact, it wasn’t as bulky! — Carol Y.
Read more reviews from real women here.