The Elusive Kegel

The term kegel was coined by a male Gynecologist, Arnold kegel in the 1940’s. In modern day they are also called pelvic floor contractions. Kegel is still easier to say. A kegel can be done by anyone who has a pelvis. A healthy pelvic floor can both CONTRACT (kegel) and RELAX (reverse kegel) the muscles of the pelvic floor.

How to Kegel

How long do I hold?

Try to see if you can practice quick contractions and long holds. A quick contraction is most helpful to practice because it helps to be able to activate quickly when you sneeze, jump, cough, laugh, lift, etc. An example would be a 1 second powerful muscle squeeze, and then a 4 second relaxation. A long hold will help build endurance, but most pelvic floor therapists don’t recommend you need to hold longer than 10 seconds at a time. Just like any muscle in the body, these muscles will fatigue, get sore, and even get trigger points or painful spots if overworked.

How many should I do?

I know this is a frustrating answer- but this really depends. The best way to know is to get an evaluation by a pelvic PT specialist who is able to perform an internal exam to test your current strength, talk about your goals, and discuss any contraindications to kegels.

Imagine if a website claimed that it could tell you exactly how many pushups everyone should do? That would be foolish, right? A trainer needs to know how many you can do today, what your goals are, and if you have any shoulder or back injuries that could interfere with your strength training program. It is the same for pelvic muscles.

Some people are so weak they can barely access these muscles at all. Some people have muscles that are so overactive that simply doing a kegel is painful, or could cause more symptoms such as painful sex, urinary urgency, and constipation.

Instead of treating yourself to your next facial, massage, or fancy dinner out….consider getting a pelvic floor evaluation by a specialist. Your body, your knowledge, your power, your healing, your goals, your recovery! Worst case is they give you a A+ report card and you walk away knowing that you have nothing to work on. (Wouldn’t that be nice to know?!)

Finding a Physical Therapist Near You

I recommend starting with a search on your insurance company’s website to narrow down who is covered for you. If there aren’t any, you could try cash pay clinics by searching “Pelvic Health Physical Therapy” or calling PT clinics in your neighborhood. If they offer pelvic PT, they almost always are advertising that on their website.

Feel free to reach out to us for help. Or if you want to schedule a free 15- minute virtual consult.