Kegels: What are they, and should you be doing them?

You’ve likely heard of Kegels, especially if you’ve had a baby, but what exactly is a Kegel? And who should be doing them?

What is a Kegel?

“A Kegel is a pelvic floor contraction that serves as a strengthening exercise to help maintain healthy pelvic floor function,” said Alicia Baker, DPT, PT, CLT, pelvic floor physical therapist at Kettering Health. “Just like core exercises prevent back pain, pelvic floor strengthening helps to prevent incontinence and makes for a strong sling of muscles to support your pelvic organs.”

What is the pelvic floor? And why does it need exercise?

For something you can’t see, the pelvic floor is responsible for a lot.

“The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments and fascia in your lower pelvis,” said Nicole Cornett, DPT, PT, pelvic floor physical therapist at Kettering Health. “The pelvic floor supports the bladder, intestines and uterus; helps with bowel and bladder control; provides support during coughing, sneezing and lifting; and is engaged during sexual activity and childbirth.”

Life events like pregnancy, childbirth and aging can all impact the function of the pelvic floor.

I had a baby and now I occasionally ‘leak.’ Is this normal?

Many women experience urine leakage, also known as urinary incontinence, during pregnancy and after delivery. While this may be a somewhat common problem, it is not normal.

“At some point, our society has thought that urine leakage after having a child is normal,” Cornett said. “You don’t have to accept urinary incontinence as a new normal, and pelvic floor physical therapy can help.”

What can I expect at a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation?

“A lot of people are nervous about a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation, but there is no need to be,” Cornett said. “You will work with the physical therapist to learn how to correctly complete targeted pelvic floor exercises and address your specific health concerns to ultimately build a specific home program. Both evaluations and treatments are conducted in private rooms and usually last one hour. We are trained to assess pelvic floor function both internally or externally and cater both to the comfort level and needs of the patient. Usually, a person can complete a course of treatment in 5-6 visits.”

Any woman who suffers from inconvenient and painful issues like urinary incontinence, low back pain, or pain during intercourse, can benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy. Find out more at ketteringhealth.org/pelviccontrol.