Many people do not know exactly what the pelvic floor is, and they do not understand how important it is to health. A pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments that close the abdominal cavity to support the organs of the pelvis – bladder, urethra, rectum, uterus, and vagina – and ensure their proper functioning.
When the muscles that make up the pelvic floor weaken, the organs it supports descend and impair their function, which can cause problems such as urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, prolapse, and fecal incontinence. To prevent this, it is essential to perform the exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor that we show you below in this FastlyHealarticle.
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Why do you have to strengthen the pelvic floor?
Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor help to keep the muscles and ligaments found under the bladder, uterus, rectum, and large intestine firm and are especially recommended for men and women who suffer from urinary incontinence or who do not have bowel control. . Strengthening the pelvic floor is also recommended for men who have undergone prostate surgery.
Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor
In the 1940s, the pelvic floor was not relevant to medicine. Everything changed when Dr. Arnold Kegel associated the weakness of this area of the human body with the appearance of incontinence and created in 1948 a series of exercises that allow, through the control of urine output during urination, to strengthen the muscles of the pelvis to better support the organs that are above the pelvic floor.
Kegel exercises consist of contracting the pelvic floor muscles, but to do them correctly, you have to recognize what these muscles are and learn to feel them. To achieve this, it is most advisable that you voluntarily try to contract the urine leakage the next time you urinate, as this is the action that must be repeated in all Kegel exercises. The pelvic floor muscles feel stiff and firm when we suddenly stop urination or hold the urge to urinate. If you have already identified them, find out below how to do these exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor.
Kegel exercises types
Slow exercise
It contracts the pelvic floor muscles for 5 seconds while maintaining smooth and slow breathing. The muscles are then relaxed for 5 seconds, and the exercise is repeated ten times.
Quick exercise
It consists of contracting and relaxing the muscles quickly and as many times as possible during 3 minutes. The ideal is to start doing ten repetitions daily and work up to 50 repetitions every day.
The elevator
To do this exercise, you must be aware that you are contracting the correct muscles. This Kegel exercise slowly tightened the pelvic floor muscles as if they were an elevator going up and stopping a few seconds on each floor.
Wave type exercise
The muscles surrounding the urethra must be contracted slowly first and then those of the rectal area. When doing the relaxation, the powers of the rectum should be relaxed first and then those of the urethra.
When urinating
It’s the same slow-type Kegel exercise, but it’s done while urinating. A urine stream must first be released, and then the pelvic floor muscles are contracted for 5 seconds to stop urination and then relaxed for 5 seconds to continue urinating. This exercise should be repeated throughout the urination process every time you go to the bathroom until it becomes customary.
Tips on how to do exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor
- When doing Kegel exercises, it is essential to keep the muscles of the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs relaxed.
- These exercises can be performed anytime and anywhere, even sitting in a chair or lying in bed.
- The results begin to be observed after four weeks of doing the exercises. A considerable change is noticeable at three months.
- Increasing the number of repetitions will not improve the process. On the contrary, it can worsen the situation by creating muscle fatigue.
- While doing the pelvic floor exercises, you notice that your back or abdomen hurts because you are not doing them correctly. In that case, you must verify that you are contracting the correct muscles.
How To Contract Your Pelvic Floor Muscles Correctly
Women
Before performing the contraction:
- Insert a finger into your vagina.
- Squeeze the muscles as if you were holding urine.
- Relax.
You should feel in your finger that the muscles contract and move from top to bottom. If you perceive this sensation, you are employing the pelvic floor correctly.
Men
Insert a finger into your rectum and contract your muscles as if to hold urine, then relax them. You should feel the muscles tense and move up and down. If you perceive that sensation, you are contracting the pelvic floor correctly.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor, we recommend that you enter our category of Female reproductive system.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.