What’s wrong with my Kegels??

Kegels are the most common exercise that women know that is related to the pelvic floor. HOWEVER- 3/4 women DO NOT PERFORM KEGELS CORRECTLY. And if we aren’t dong them right, whats the point?! In this blog- I am going to go over some quick and easy ways for you to:

1. Find your Pelvic Floor muscles

2. Perform a Pelvic Floor muscle contraction correctly!

The Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that create a hammock between the two sides of your pelvis. The pelvic floor contributes to the following:

·     Supports internal organs, pelvis and spine

·     Assists in stopping and starting the passage of waste while using the restroom

·     Assists with sexual response and orgasms

·     Provides stability to the pelvis and spine during movement

There are many common complaints related to the pelvic floor including urine/fecal leakage and pain during intercourse. It is important to note that these symptoms ARE NOT NORMAL. They are quite common but can be remedied with specific techniques used by physical therapists.

During physical therapy treatment, we help the patient find their pelvic floor. This is an important activity to do before exercise because most people are unaware of the musculature of the pelvic floor. Therefore, they unable to use those muscles appropriately.

Before explaining how to find your pelvic floor, it is important to mention those who SHOULD NOT be performing this activity without a M.D. or physician approval:

• Women experiencing Preterm Labor

• Women experiencing insufficient or incompetent cervix

• Women experiencing vaginal bleeding during pregnancy

• Women experiencing premature rupture of membranes

• Anyone who has been instructed by a physician to be on “pelvic rest” or to not perform pelvic contractions.

Okay, now for the fun part!

We are going to start by increasing general awareness of the area. You will need a folded hand towel.

• Fold the towel long ways, like a hot dog (you made need to double it up if you can’t feel it in the next step).

• ·     Place the towel in the pelvic area from front to back (like how your underwear naturally rests in that area, or like a saddle).

• Try drawing the pelvic region that is resting against the towel up and toward your navel.

  • DO NOT squeeze your glutes or use your Abs while doing this!

• OR- try squeezing your vaginal opening as if you were trying to “pick up a pea from the seat”.

Once you feel like you can do this step without using your glutes or flexing your ab muscles, try this:

• Sit on a chair or swiss ball (without the towel)

• Lean to the left to lift the right glute off the surface

• Take your right hand, with palm facing toward the ceiling and fingertips facing you, place fingertips on the inside of your sit bone.

  • Your sit bone is the most southern portion of the pelvis where muscles connect to.

• Keeping your hand in that position, sit the right buttock back down on the chair without removing your hand.

• Repeat previous steps for the for the left buttock.

• Now, imagine pulling those sit bones (the bones that your hands are on) together with the muscles in between them.

  • It will be with the same muscles that we found earlier when sitting on the towel.

• When you are contracting, you should feel tension where your finger tips are.

  • You SHOULD NOT have clinched muscles in your abdomen or in your buttocks!

• If the above cue doesn’t work for you- imagine doing the same exercise that you did with the towel. Try drawing those muscles up and in.

You have now begun some of the simple exercises necessary for strengthening your pelvic floor! Go you!!

Talk to you soon!

--Dr. Paige

Owner/Physical Therapist for Recharged Performance Therapy

Paige@RechargedPerformanceTherapy.com

(321) 802-1630