Intro to Pelvic Floor Exercises: the Kegel

Intro to Pelvic Floor Exercises: the Kegel

Intro to Pelvic Floor Exercises: the Kegel

The most basic pelvic floor exercise in 5 easy steps: the Kegel.

  • Starting position: something comfortable — lying down, sitting or standing. Try different positions!! — your awareness of your pelvic floor muscles will likely be different depending on the position. We are going for maximal body awareness here.
  • Breathing matters: your pelvic floor muscles and your diaphragm work as a team. So breathing (once you get the hang of it) will actually make this exercise significantly easier. As you inhale, your pelvic floor lengthens/relaxes, as you exhale it shortens/contracts. Practice a few deep breaths in your comfortable position.
  • Engage your pelvic floor muscles: to contract your pelvic floor, imagine that you are stopping your urine midstream (drawing in a raisin with your urethra) or stopping yourself from passing gas (lifting up a marble with your rectum). This should feel like a gentle tensioning, not a huge increase in pressure.
  • Relax your pelvic floor muscles: this is a very important part (and often the most difficult to feel). Think of what you would do to initiate your stream of urine. Without bearing down, let go of any tension in your pelvic floor muscles. You may be able to feel them “drop” or lengthen. These muscles can be much more effective if they are not engaged all the time.
  • Put it all together: take a deep breath in and let your pelvic floor muscles relax. As you exhale, contract/tension your pelvic floor. On your next inhale, let go of the tension and feel your pelvic floor muscles relax. Finish with a second exhale and check to see if you’ve completely relaxed. Can you feel the drop?

Please note, if you have any symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, an assessment by a pelvic floor physiotherapist is required in order to determine the most appropriate exercises and treatment plan for you. Kegels are not the “one size fits all” solution for everyone with pelvic floor issues. There are some situations where pelvic floor muscle strengthening is not helpful and may aggravate symptoms.

Contact karlyn@foundationphysio.com if you have any questions, or to learn how pelvic floor physiotherapy could help you.