Kegel Exercises for Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine that occurs as the result of stress on the bladder. This stress can be the result of simple activities such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, exercising or lifting heavy objects. Stress incontinence can affect the young and the old, both males and females, although females are more prone to the condition due to hormonal changes of pregnancy and menopause and damage to urinary structures caused by pregnancy and childbirth. Stress incontinence can be devastating to those who experience it. The good news is that the condition can be treated, and Kegel exercises can help to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, thus improving the condition and perhaps even curing it.

Kegel exercises are named for Dr. Arnold Kegel. These exercises are simple, fast, effective and require no purchase of equipment. They can be done virtually anywhere at any time. Done correctly, they can strengthen the muscles (pubococcygeus muscles) of the pelvic floor. These muscles provide support to the bladder, uterus and bowel. These muscles can be weakened or stretched as a result of several conditions, including:

• Pregnancy

• Childbirth

• Being overweight

• Chronic cough

• Weak muscles as a result of a genetic predisposition

• Aging

• Menopause

There are many benefits of performing Kegel exercises. Pelvic floor exercises can be used to prevent incontinence, treat incontinence, or prevent uterine prolapse. Prolapse occurs when the uterus is displaced downwards into the vagina, causing discomfort, a feeling of pressure and incontinence. These exercises can be used during pregnancy to help prevent incontinence, and are also used to treat incontinence should it occur. Kegel exercises can be used by both sexes to improve sexual function and satisfaction.

To isolate the pelvic floor muscles, you can attempt to stop your stream of urine. If you are able to do so, you have isolated the correct muscles. If you are a women and you are having difficulty determining which muscles to contract, you can insert a finger into your vagina and attempt to tighten your muscles around your finger. If you can feel these muscles tighten, you are doing the exercise correctly. If neither of these methods work for you, ask your health care professional to help you isolate the muscles (don’t be embarrassed- they are professionals).

Once you have identified the correct muscles and are able to tighten them at will, you are ready to perform Kegel exercises:

• Make sure you are comfortable and your bladder is empty (doing these exercises with a full bladder may actually worsen incontinence)

• Contract the pelvic floor muscles and hold for 3 to 5 seconds

• Relax the muscles

• Repeat the series of contractions and relaxations 10 times

Eventually, with practice, you should be able to work up to 10 repetitions of 10-second contractions with 10-second rest periods in between. Exercises should be repeated 3 times a day. Remember, the idea is to contract the pelvic floor muscles - your abdominal muscles should not contract. With continued practice, you will be able to do these exercises easily anywhere, at work, while watching television, while drying the dishes or while reading a book.

Kegel exercises will not help an existing problem overnight. It may take several months before you notice a real difference in incontinence. If you are performing Kegel exercises to ready your body for childbirth, you will be doing yourself a favour, perhaps preventing incontinence from occurring. Kegel exercises can be very effective at treating stress incontinence, and may even be the only treatment that is needed.

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