Sunday, June 21, 2009

Tips For Kegel Exercises

Kegel exercises have become the lynchpin of the conservative (non-surgical) management of incontinence. Some women have trouble however doing the exercises properly. Here are some tips that might help. If anyone else has some tips feel free to join in the conversation in the comments. If you haven't seen my other post on the importance of Kegel's go here.

Best Regards,

Dr. Himel

Empty the bladder.

Tighten the pelvic floor muscles for a count of 5 to start. Gradually increase the count to 10.

Relax the pelvic floor muscles for a count of 10.

Do the exercises at least 10 times, 3 times a day.

Finding The Right Muscles

1) place a finger in the vagina (the rectum if a male} and squeeze
the finger with your pelvic muscles.

2) try and stop the flow of urine momentarily while voiding.

3) squeeze the muscles that you think will stop the act of
voiding or of passing gas rectally.
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2 comments:

  1. Tasha MulliganJune 22, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    In addition to kegels, women should also be working their coordinating muscles (abs, glutes, etc.) As a physical therapist, I have found that for many women kegels alone are not sufficient -- which makes sense b/c if you wanted to strengthen/rehab a knee, you wouldn't only do quad sets but rather you would do a series of exercises to make sure that all of the involved muscles were strong. In the case of the pelvic floor, women should also do what is now often referred to as "core" work to strengthen abs, glutes, and low back. The proper series of exercises, done precisely -- usually in 15 - 20 minutes 3x/week for 6 weeks should be sufficient to regain the strength in the pelvic and reduce or eliminate the symptoms. Also, keep in mind that proper posture can also help.

    Tasha Mulligan, MPT, ATC, CSCS
    Creator of Hab It: Pelvic Floor DVD (www.hab-it.com)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dr. Calvin HimelAugust 7, 2009 at 5:25 PM

    Thanks for the comments, I would agree general fitness is important for good health and bladder control.
    Best Regards

    Cal Himel

    ReplyDelete

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Are You Looking For Help With Bladder Control Problems? Maybe I Can Help!

I have been an Obstetrician-Gynecologist for most of my life. In 1999 until my retirement, I ran a gynecological office practice whose main thrust was the non-surgical treatment of incontinence. I was achieving improvement or cure rates of over 60%.

I was encouraged by fellow physicians (who saw this serious issue with few non-surgical options) to return to my practice.

If you have a male or female incontinence issue and want to discuss non-surgical management, feel free to contact me directly. I only see patients by physician referral.