'I'm doing my Kegels all the time, but who knows if I'm doing them correctly!" This is the #1 comment I hear from my patients when they walk into the clinic is. They are usually aware that Kegels may be helpful for their problem related to bowel, bladder or sexual functioning, but they just don't know if they are doing the exercise correctly. What are 'Kegels' exactly? Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist, first coined the term 'Kegel' to describe the exercises - or the squeezing of the pelvic floor muscles to close the openings of the pelvis. In the pelvic health PT world, we like to use the term 'pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercises' because truthfully it helps to accurately describe the overall function of these exercises. PFM exercises help us to retrain our pelvic floor to not only contract, but to also to relax and bulge/bear down in order to complete all necessary functions. The following are videos created by the Continence Foundation of Australia demonstrating both the female and male pelvic floor muscle region and how the pelvic floor functions during contraction and relaxation. Here are some instructions on how to do a 'kegel' correctly:
At the end of the day, the gold standard in knowing if you are completing pelvic floor exercises correctly is to have a therapist test your pelvic floor muscle strength with an internal exam. Physical therapists that specialize in pelvic health have specialized training to complete these examinations and can truly determine if you are doing your 'kegels' correctly.
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Did you know that (anatomically) there is really no such thing as a 'tiny' bladder?Here are some fun facts:
If adult bladder capacity is relatively the same, then what causes the need to urinate more frequently? There can be multiple factors that cause 'tiny' bladder symptoms. Many times these symptoms are under the umbrella of Overactive Bladder (OAB).
Good news - The bladder is a muscle and therefore can be retrained!The bladder is made of a type of muscle called smooth muscle, which is similar to the muscle that makes up our heart. Just like we cannot directly strengthen our heart (we need to exercise and get our heart rate up), the bladder muscle must be trained indirectly, as well. Here are some helpful ways to retrain your 'tiny' bladder to reduce your daily (and nightly) bathroom visits:
References
1. Lukacz ES, Sampselle C, Gray M, et al. A healthy bladder: a consensus statement. Int J Clin Pract. 2011;65(10):1026-1036. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2011.02763.x 2. Newman DK, Borello-France D, Sung VW. Structured behavioral treatment research protocol for women with mixed urinary incontinence and overactive bladder symptoms. Neurourol Urodyn. 2018;37(1):14-26. doi:10.1002/nau.23244 |
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