Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Do They Do?Who Are They For?BenefitsPrecautionsLocating Your Pelvic FloorPerforming ThemDoing Them CorrectlyTools
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Do They Do?
Who Are They For?
Benefits
Precautions
Locating Your Pelvic Floor
Performing Them
Doing Them Correctly
Tools
Kegelexercises (“Kegels”), which involve squeezing the pelvic floor muscles, can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles in all genders.
A typical Kegel program is sets of 10 squeezes, three times per day.Like other forms of physical activity, Kegel exercises should be worked into lifelong habits to see lasting benefits.
Kegel exercises are not a good option for everyone. Talk to your healthcare provider before trying Kegel exercises.
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What Do Kegel Exercises Actually Do?
These muscles, which areshaped like a hammockand connect to the back, front, and sides of the pelvic bone, support the bladder, rectum, and sexual organs. They also help control the flow and release of urine, gas, and stool.
Factors such as pregnancy, childbirth, aging, and surgery can weaken pelvic floor muscles, which can lead toleaking urine, stool, or gas. Kegels can strengthen these muscles, helping to stop these leaks. Some studies suggest pelvic floor muscle training may also improve sexual function.
Who Should Consider Kegels?
Kegels may be beneficial for people who are experiencing several factors or conditions, including:
Risk factors for pelvic floor weakness include:
Treatment Options for Pelvic Floor Disorder
The recommended treatment for pelvic floor disorder depends on the person, the type of problem, and the severity. Some options include:
Goals and Benefits of Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises can help with:
Before You Get Started: Precautions
Kegels are not appropriate for everyone, and doing them correctly is very important. Make sure to consult your healthcare provider before doing them or any pelvic floor exercises.
Kegels may do more harm than good if the problem stems from overworked pelvic muscles rather than weak ones. You may not be able to tell the difference on your own. Apelvic health physical therapistcan help assess you and suggest the proper way to address it.
Kegels should not be performed in isolation; they should be combined with other functional movements and exercises. A pelvic health physical therapist can also help with these exercises.
While Kegels can help strengthenpelvic floor muscle weakness from pregnancy and childbirth, talk to your healthcare provider before doing Kegels while pregnant. The exercises may not be recommended for you or may need to be modified. Kegels should not be performed while lying on your back during pregnancy. If your healthcare provider says it is OK for you to do them, Kegels may be done in a recliner or lying on your left side.
Some things to consider are:
How to Locate Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
The pelvic floor muscles are used tostop urine flow and hold in gas.
Your healthcare provider or pelvic floor physical therapist can help you locate the right muscles and make sure you are squeezing them correctly.
There are also things to try at home to help you identify the muscles.
Visualize the pelvic floor muscle running like a hammock from the pubic bone in the front to the tailbone in the back.
While you breathe in and out, focus on this area for a few minutes, observing any movements you feel, such as a bit of fullness in the area increasing as you breathe in and decreasing as you breathe out.
When you are first trying to identify the muscles and make sure you are squeezing correctly, you can try stopping the flow of urine while peeing. This is just to make sure you are using the right muscles as you are learning to do it.Do not interrupt the flow of urinemore than twice a month, as this can damage your bladder and kidneys.
In People With Vaginas
It can help to:
How to Make Sure You Aren’t Contracting the Wrong Muscles While Doing KegelsIt’s important not to tighten other muscles, such as your abdomen, leg, or butt muscles, when contracting pelvic floor muscles.To see if you are contracting yourbutt or leg muscles:Place a hand underneath your butt or on the inside of your upper leg.Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles.If you feel movement in your butt or leg, you’re using the wrong muscles.You can also try sitting on a chair and looking in a mirror while doing Kegels. If you notice your body lifting slightly, you are using your butt muscles.
How to Make Sure You Aren’t Contracting the Wrong Muscles While Doing Kegels
It’s important not to tighten other muscles, such as your abdomen, leg, or butt muscles, when contracting pelvic floor muscles.To see if you are contracting yourbutt or leg muscles:Place a hand underneath your butt or on the inside of your upper leg.Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles.If you feel movement in your butt or leg, you’re using the wrong muscles.You can also try sitting on a chair and looking in a mirror while doing Kegels. If you notice your body lifting slightly, you are using your butt muscles.
It’s important not to tighten other muscles, such as your abdomen, leg, or butt muscles, when contracting pelvic floor muscles.
To see if you are contracting yourbutt or leg muscles:
You can also try sitting on a chair and looking in a mirror while doing Kegels. If you notice your body lifting slightly, you are using your butt muscles.
In People With Penises
How to Perform Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises can be done:
It can also help to make Kegelsa part of your everyday routine, such as:
Do the exercises regularly, but do not increase the amount you do without checking with your healthcare provider or pelvic floor therapist. Overdoing it can cause problems such as straining when going to the bathroom.
To do a Kegel:
You can also try varying the speed.
To do “mini Kegels,” quickly count to 10 or 20, contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles with each number.
To do slow Kegels, imagine an elevator rising four floors, contracting your muscles a little more with each floor. At the fourth “floor,” hold the contraction, then slowly release the tension as you imagine the elevator going back down. Do a set of 10.
Try to make standard, slow/long, and quick/short Kegels a part of your routine.
Kegels can help prevent urine leakage when youcough, sneeze, or lift if you have stress incontinence. Contract your pelvic floor muscles when doing activities like this that put stress on your pelvic floor.
How to Know If You Are Doing Kegels Correctly
To make sure you are doing Kegels correctly, consult a pelvic floor physical therapist who can check your technique and offer you exercises best suited to your needs.
When doing Kegel exercises, you shouldnot:
Tools That Help Kegels Tone Pelvic Floor Muscles
Some tools that may be used with Kegel exercises include:
These tools are best used under the guidance of a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Summary
Kegel exercises can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improve symptoms such asincontinence.
To do Kegel exercises, contract your pelvic floor muscles like you are trying to stop the flow of urine, hold for 10 seconds, and release. Repeat 10 times, three times a day. Some people should take precautions when attempting Kegels, or avoid them altogether.Talk to your healthcare providerbefore starting Kegel exercises.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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