| Dr. Arnold Kegel was the first to develop special exercises to work out the pelvic floor muscles, in particular pubococcygeus muscles (PC muscles). The muscles are involved in urination, bowel movements, sexual intercourse and, in women, during labour.
Many illnesses, such as pregnancy, childbirth, undue weight gain, aging, a chronic cough, a genetic predisposition to weak connective tissue, place stress on your pelvic floor muscles. In males, debilitating of the pelvic floor muscles can also lead to premature ejaculation. In both men and women, the debilitated pelvis can cause a drop in sexual gratification.
So, Kegel exercises are recommended for a variety of purposes. This kind of exercise is believed to be the primary point of a management program to treat stress or urinary and fecal incontinence. The pc muscles engaged by this form of exercising include the anal and urinary sphincter. In males, the exercising can "lift" the testicles. It may take several weeks to see a considerable improvement, but some males observe their testicles lifting promptly.
Like any muscle of the body, the pc muscles, if not involved or "worked out" frequently, debilitate and finally atrophy. Post-menopausal females usually suffer from vaginal atrophy.
In females, loss of muscle tone in the area can result in vaginal or uterine prolapse, also called fallen uterus.
The conditions can be rather uncomfortable and sometimes need surgical treatment. But, the principal cause is a collapse of the pelvic floor which keeps the organs in place.
Kegel exercises can prevent the complications and can aid in treating them, too.
To make certain you are well aware how to contract your pelvic floor muscles, try to stop the urine flow while you are going to the bathroom. This is the basic move. Or try another technique: having put a finger into the vagina, try to squeeze the muscles. You should be able to feel your vagina become tighter and your pelvic floor move up. Afterwards stop contracting your muscles and feel your pelvic floor move down to the initial position.
Stopping or starting the urine flow regularly is unhealthy. Doing Kegel exercises with a full bladder or when emptying your bladder can actually debilitate the muscles. It can also trigger incomplete emptying of the bladder, thereby raising the risk of a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Kegel exercises are to be done on a regular basis to achieve the best results. A set of Kegel exercises for males and females can be discovered at kegel-exercise.org. Note it is easier to forestall a medical condition than to treat it. |
