How To Do Kegel Exercises For Bladder Control

How to do Kegel Exercises for bladder control with Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Michelle Kenway from pelvicexercises.com.au Learn the 2 Kegel Exercises for controlling bladder urgency, storing bladder contents and stopping unwanted bladder leakage. Michelle also shows you how to feel your Kegel exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improving bladder control.

Finding Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

Your pelvic floor muscles sling like a hammock between you sit bones from side to side and front to back from your pubic bone to your tailbone.

Your pelvic floor muscles encircle your anus, vagina and urethra (urine tube). They can help you stop or slow the flow of urine when contracted as a test to see how they are working.

Two Types of Kegel Exercises for Bladder Control:

1. Long Slow Kegel Exercises - for bladder storage & support
2. Short Strong Kegel Exercises - stop bladder leakage with cough, sneeze, laugh or lift

A. Technique for Long Slow Kegel Exercises

*Sit with tall posture
*Squeeze and lift the muscles in and around your 3 pelvic openings
*Keep lifting and squeezing for 3-10 seconds (or even a few seconds if this is what you can manage)
*Breathe normally
*Lower your pelvic floor muscles back to starting position
*Relax and rest briefly before your next attempt

Start out with the number of exercises you can comfortably manage.

Repeat 8-12 Kegel Exercises, 3 times daily holding each exercise for 3-10 seconds.

B. Technique for Short Strong Kegel Exercises

*Sit with tall posture
*Squeeze and lift the muscles in and around your 3 pelvic openings with a quick brisk action
*Lower your pelvic floor muscles back to starting position
*Repeat up to 10 short Kegel exercises in a row

Start out repeating this exercise for that number of contractions that you can manage with the correct technique.

Practice these short contractions daily. Try to increase the strength of the contractions as you pelvic floor strength improves.

Kegel Exercises for Bladder Control

Use these quick contractions before and during every cough, sneeze or laugh. You need to contract your pelvic floor muscles before and during the activities that place pressure on your bladder causing bladder leakage.

Relax your pelvic floor muscles back to resting when you are not doing your exercises. Avoid walking or running with your pelvic floor muscles contracted as this practice can cause pelvic floor muscle tension and pelvic pain.

For more information on Kegel Exercises for bladder control visit pelvicexercsies.com.au