Incontinence: Kegels are not Enough

Kegels. We’ve all been told to do them, by our OB-GYN, parenting magazines, talk shows, friends, or midwives. While they can have some benefit and there is a time and a place for them, they are hardly the end-all, be-all for improving pelvic floor strength, incontinence, or pelvic pain symptoms. Pelvic floor experts now agree, to cure incontinence, Kegels are not enough.

But what exactly is a Kegel? A Kegel is an isolated contraction of our pelvic floor muscles. Many people become frustrated because they have relentlessly worked on their Kegels with no improvement of symptoms. They don't understand why—they have been doing exactly what the doctor told them to do!

Think about training for a running race. You wouldn't train just one group of muscles. You would build cardio-vascular endurance, and leg and core muscle strength. All of these systems need to be working well together to make you an efficient runner on race day.

The pelvic floor, the group of muscles inside your pelvis that cradle your bladder, bowels, and other organs, is the same way. Those muscles need to be trained along with the rest of the body so when the time comes, they can work as a whole.

When children learn to potty train, it’s just at the time when they start running, jumping, dancing, and playing hard. All of the motions they do naturally every day involve movement of the hips, pelvic floor, spine, and legs. As adults, we do not do enough of those kinds of movements, therefore our pelvic floor muscles start to shut down.
We need to move in purposeful ways so that the pelvic floor will start to re-activate and get rid of those awful symptoms. And it’s not as hard as you’d think.
You are not alone, and we have help, so consider coming to our FREE Pelvic Floor Workshop! It’s fun and informative.

Get info and sign-up for our FREE Pelvic Floor Workshop: https://www.nomorepads.com/pelvicfloorworkshop

Check out our Incontinence Web Page: Urinary Incontinence | Superior Physical Therapy (thesuperiortherapy.com)

Try a Pelvic Floor Workout for free, too: https://youtu.be/xD4yqAp8ebw

Additional info from Mayo Clinic on Incontinence: Urinary incontinence - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic