Kegel exercises are a series of pelvic muscle exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Pelvic muscle strengthening exercises; Pelvic floor exercises

Kegel exercises are recommended for:

• Women with urinary stress incontinence
• Some men who have urinary incontinence after prostate surgery
• People who have fecal incontinence

Kegel exercises can help strengthen the muscles under the uterus, bladder, and bowel (large intestine). They can help both men and women who have problems with urine leakage or bowel control.

A Kegel exercise is like pretending that you have to urinate, and then holding it. You relax and tighten the muscles that control urine flow. It's important to find the right muscles to tighten.

The next time you have to urinate, start to go and then stop. Feel the muscles in your vagina, bladder, or anus get tight and move up. These are the pelvic floor muscles. If you feel them tighten, you've done the exercise right.

If you are still not sure whether you are tightening the right muscles. keep in mind that all of the muscles of the pelvic floor relax and contract at the same time. Because these muscles control the bladder, rectum, and vagina, the following tips may help:

Images

Female perineal anatomy

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Review Date: 06/17/2010
Reviewed By: Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)