Kegel muscles exercises

Kegel exercises - self-care: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

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

As you get older
If you gain weight
After pregnancy and childbirth
After gynecologic surgery (women)
After prostate surgery (men)

People who have brain and nerve disorders may also have problems with urine leakage or bowel control.

Kegel exercises can be done any time you are sitting or lying down. You can do them when you are eating, sitting at your desk, driving, and when you are resting or watching television.

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

Next time you have to urinate, start to go and then stop. Feel the muscles in your vagina (for women), bladder, or anus get tight and move up. These are the pelvic floor muscles. If you feel them tighten, you have done the exercise right. Your thighs, buttock muscles, and abdomen should remain relaxed.

If you still are not sure you are tightening the right muscles:

Imagine that you are trying to keep yourself from passing gas.
Women: Insert a finger into your vagina. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down.
Men: Insert a finger into your rectum. Tighten the muscles as if you are holding in your urine, then let go. You should feel the muscles tighten and move up and down.

Once you know what the movement feels like, do Kegel exercises 3 times a day:

Make sure your bladder is empty, then sit or lie down.
Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. Hold tight and count 3 to 5 seconds.
Relax the muscles and count 3 to 5 seconds.
Repeat 10 times, 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night).

Breathe deeply and relax your body when you are doing these exercises. Make sure you are not tightening your stomach, thigh, buttock, or chest muscles.

After 4 to 6 weeks, you should feel better and have fewer symptoms. Keep doing the exercises, but do not increase how many you do. Overdoing it can lead to straining when you urinate or move your bowels.

Some notes of caution:

Once you learn how to do them, do not practice Kegel exercises at the same time you are urinating more than twice a month. Doing the exercises while you are urinating can weaken your pelvic floor muscles over time or cause damage to bladder and kidneys.
In women, doing Kegel exercises incorrectly or with too much force may cause vaginal muscles to tighten too much. This can cause pain during sexual intercourse.
Incontinence will return if you stop doing these exercises. Once you start doing them, you may need to do them for the rest of your life.
It may take several months for your incontinence to lessen once you start doing these exercises.

Call your health care provider if you are not sure you are doing Kegel exercises the right way. Your provider can check to see if you are doing them correctly.You may be referred to a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor exercises.

Pelvic muscle strengthening exercises; Pelvic floor exercises

Magowan BA, Owen P, Thomson A. Pelvic organ prolapse. In: Magowan BA, Owen P, Thomson A, eds. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 10.

Newman DK, Burgio KL. Conservative management of urinary incontinence: behavioral and pelvic floor therapy and urethral and pelvic devices. In: Partin AW, Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 121.

Patton S, Bassaly R. Urinary incontinence. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, eds. Conn's Current Therapy 2021. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier 2021:1132-1134.

Anterior vaginal wall repair
Artificial urinary sphincter
Radical prostatectomy
Stress urinary incontinence
Transurethral resection of the prostate
Urge incontinence
Urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence - injectable implant
Urinary incontinence - retropubic suspension
Urinary incontinence - tension-free vaginal tape
Urinary incontinence - urethral sling procedures

Multiple sclerosis - discharge
Prostate resection - minimally invasive - discharge
Radical prostatectomy - discharge
Self catheterization - female
Self catheterization - male
Stroke - discharge
Transurethral resection of the prostate - discharge
Urinary incontinence products - self-care
Urinary incontinence surgery - female - discharge
Urinary incontinence - what to ask your doctor
When you have urinary incontinence

Updated by: Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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Step-by-step guide to performing Kegel exercises

Doing Kegels right means find your pelvic floor muscles and working them.

Kegel exercises won't help you look better, but they do something just as important — strengthen the muscles that support the bladder. Strong pelvic floor muscles can go a long way toward warding off incontinence.

These exercises were developed in the late 1940s by Dr. Arnold H. Kegel, an American gynecologist, as a nonsurgical way to prevent women from leaking urine. They also work for men plagued by incontinence.

Although Kegel exercises themselves are simple, finding the right muscles to exercises isn't. One-third or more of women and men who do Kegels are actually working their abdominal, buttock, or inner thigh muscles. They don't reap the benefits of the exercises.

Locate your pelvic muscles

Several techniques can be used to find the right set of muscles to exercise.

Women:

Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas.

Pretend to tighten your vagina around a tampon.

Men:

Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas.

While urinating, try to stop your urine stream.

If you've identified the right muscles, you'll feel the contraction more in the back of the pelvic area than the front.

Practice contractions

Choose your position. Start by lying on your back until you get the feel of contracting the pelvic floor muscles. When you have the hang of it, practice while sitting and standing.

Contract and relax

Contract your pelvic floor muscles for 3 to 5 seconds.
Relax for 3 to 5 seconds.
Repeat the contract/relax cycle 10 times.

Keep other muscles relaxed. Don't contract your abdominal, leg, or buttock muscles, or lift your pelvis. Place a hand gently on your belly to detect unwanted abdominal action.

Extend the time. Gradually increase the length of contractions and relaxations. Work your way up to 10-second contractions and relaxations

Aim high. Try to do at least 30 to 40 Kegel exercises every day. Spreading them throughout the day is better than doing them all at once. Since these are stealth exercises that no one notices but you, try to sneak in a few when waiting at a stoplight, riding an elevator, or standing in a grocery line.

Diversify. Practice short, 2 to 3 second contractions and releases (sometimes called "quick flicks") as well as longer ones.

Kegel exercises in an emergency

If you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, bend over, or lift something heavy (stress incontinence), doing one or more Kegels before a "trigger" may be enough to prevent any leakage. If you have the urge to urinate and doubt you are going to make it to the toilet, doing Kegels may get you safely to a restroom.

Pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises) for men

Time to read: Approximately 2 min.

This information will help you learn how to do pelvic floor exercises (Kegel exercises).

About Kegel Exercises

The main purpose of Kegel exercises is to help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support your bladder and intestines.

Kegel exercises will help you:

Control or prevent urinary incontinence. Incontinence is the leakage of urine and stool (feces) that you cannot control.
improve your sexual health.

About the pelvic floor muscles

The pelvic floor muscles line the pelvic cavity and support the pelvic organs (see Figure 1). These are the muscles that relax during urination (when you go to the toilet in a small way) and during passing gases or bowel movements (when you go to the toilet in a big way). You also use these muscles to hold urine and prevent leakage.

Figure 1 Pelvic floor muscles

Pelvic Floor Muscle Test

Pelvic floor muscles must be checked before performing Kegel exercises. Think about what muscles you use to interrupt the stream of urine when urinating, concentrate on them. Don't do this often, as stopping the flow of urine every time you urinate can be harmful.

How to Do Kegel Exercises

Make sure you urinate to keep your bladder empty before doing Kegel exercises.

When you're ready, start doing the following:

To begin, pull in your pelvic floor muscles and hold them there for 5 seconds. To do this, imagine that you are pulling in and lifting the genitals.
- Don't hold your breath. Counting out loud will keep you from holding your breath.
After 5 seconds, slowly and completely relax the muscles, holding them in this state for 5 seconds.
Repeat the exercise 10 times and do it at least 3 times daily.

Your pelvic floor muscles may become tired during this exercise. In this case, stop doing the exercise and start it later.

This exercise does not involve the abdominal muscles, legs or buttocks. Exercising these muscles will not help you regain urinary control or improve your sexual health.

As you continue with these exercises, gradually increase the amount of time the pelvic floor muscles are contracted and relaxed. Start with 5 seconds and gradually build up the time each week until you reach 10 seconds.

When to do Kegel exercises

Most people prefer to do Kegel exercises while lying in bed or sitting in a chair. They can be done in any position convenient for you. Doing Kegel exercises while standing can be very helpful, as urine leakage usually occurs in this position.

To prevent leakage of urine, try a Kegel exercise before:

get up;
walk;
go to the toilet;
sneeze or cough;
laugh.

Doing these exercises will help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and reduce urine leakage.

‌ Do not do Kegel exercises if you have a Foley catheter (thin, flexible tube) in place.

Pain and Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises should not cause pain. Many find them simple and relaxing. But if you use the wrong muscles when doing them, you may experience discomfort.

If you have back or stomach pain after doing Kegel exercises, you may be using your abdominal or back muscles instead of your pelvic floor muscles.
If you have a headache after doing Kegel exercises, you may be tightening your chest muscles and holding your breath.

When should you contact your healthcare provider?

Call your healthcare provider if:

concerns about bowel, bladder, or sexual function;
difficulty concentrating on the pelvic floor muscles;
pain when doing Kegel exercises;
difficulty doing Kegel exercises;
pain in the pelvic area;
questions requiring referral to a pelvic physiotherapist.

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Date last updated

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegel) for Women

This information will help you learn what pelvic floor exercises (Kegel) are and how to do them.

About Kegel Exercises

The main purpose of Kegel exercises is to help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support your uterus, bladder, and intestines (see Figure 1). They are also called pelvic organs.

Figure 1. Pelvic floor muscles and pelvic organs

How Kegel exercises can help you

Kegel exercises can help you:

Control or prevent urinary incontinence. Incontinence is the leakage of urine or feces that you cannot control.
Support the pelvic organs. This will help reduce incontinence and soreness.
Improve pelvic floor muscle coordination. Exercise helps make muscles stronger and more flexible. This is important if you experience pain or discomfort during intercourse or during a pelvic exam.

Kegel exercises can also be beneficial for sexual health and sexual satisfaction because they:

improve blood circulation in the vagina and pelvic floor muscles,
facilitate the achievement of orgasm;
increase the production of vaginal lubrication (moisturizing the vagina).

How to Identify Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

When doing Kegel exercises, it is important to identify your pelvic floor muscles to make sure you are working with the correct muscles.

To determine the pelvic floor muscles, do the following:

imagine you are urinating. Tighten the muscles that you use to interrupt the flow of urine while urinating. These are the pelvic floor muscles.
- Do not stop the stream of urine while urinating. This may lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder and also increases the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI).
Tighten the muscles you use to hold back a bowel movement or gas.
Insert the tip of a clean finger into the vagina. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles around your finger. You should feel the muscles in your vagina tense up and your pelvic floor move up.

How to Tell if You're Using the Wrong Muscles

Contracting your pelvic floor muscles doesn't involve your stomach, legs, or buttocks.

To find out if the muscles in your legs or buttocks are also contracting, you can place one hand under your buttocks or on the inside of your upper leg. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles. If you feel movement in your leg or buttocks, then you are using the wrong muscles.
If you are sitting in a chair, then when doing Kegel exercises, your body should not rise from the chair. If you feel that your body is lifting, then you are using the muscles of the buttocks.

How to do Kegel exercises

Get into a comfortable position before starting

Get into a comfortable position before starting Kegel exercises so that your body is relaxed. Most people prefer to do Kegel exercises while lying in bed or sitting in a chair. They can be done in any position convenient for you.

Once you are familiar with the exercises, you can do them in any position and anywhere, such as standing somewhere and waiting in line, which can help you do them more often.

Kegel steps

Inhale deeply through your nose to contract your abdominal muscles and fill with air. During inhalation, the pelvic floor muscles should be relaxed.
Exhale slowly through pursed lips, as if you were blowing through a straw. Do this by slightly tensing your pelvic floor muscles.
The pelvic floor muscles should be in a tense state for 3-6 seconds during exhalation. This is called a cut.
Inhale again and stop muscle contraction. This will allow the muscles to relax.
Relax your pelvic floor muscles completely for 6-10 seconds. It is very important to completely relax the muscles between each contraction.

and do not hold your breath while doing Kegel exercises. If you feel like you are holding your breath, count out loud while doing Kegel exercises.

How often to do Kegel exercises

Do this exercise for 10 repetitions per session. For best results, do 2-3 sessions of Kegel exercises daily. Sessions are best done at regular intervals throughout the day.

When to increase the duration of Kegel exercises

You can increase the duration of Kegel exercises if:

pelvic floor muscles do not get tired after their contraction for 3-6 seconds;
pelvic floor muscles do not get tired after doing 10 Kegel exercises in a row.

In this case, try contracting the muscles for 6-10 seconds. Then completely relax the muscles for 10 seconds. Be sure to keep breathing as the muscles contract.

Try to achieve the goal of holding a strong contraction for 10 seconds 10 times in a row.

What to do if you experience pain after Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises should not hurt. If you experience pain during or after Kegel exercises, stop exercising immediately and call your health care provider. You may not be doing the exercises correctly or they are not suitable for you.

Getting Sexual Health and Intimacy Information at MSK

If you need more information about sexual health and intimate life, talk to your health care provider. You can also enroll in the MSK's Female Sexual Medicine and Women's Health Program. For more information or to make an appointment, call 646-888-5076.