The pelvic floor or the pelvic diaphragm is the muscular layer under the pelvis that supports the pelvic organs. Dr Arnold Kegel is credited with the devising of Kegel Exercises; which are pelvic floor exercises for women; and which are known to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and to act as a simple treatment for various troublesome conditions.
Pelvic floor muscle exercises for women are indicated not just for several different situations but are also good to do otherwise.
In readiness for childbirth
These exercises that are done by the squeezing of the pelvic floor muscles are routinely prescribed for pregnant women in order to strengthen the muscles for supporting a pregnancy in the later stages as well as toning them for the rigors of a vaginal childbirth.
To treat stress incontinence
Pelvic floor exercises for women can help to treat stress incontinence, which is the involuntary leakage of urine when a woman coughs, sneezes, or otherwise stresses the pelvic floor muscles.
Performing these exercises can help to strengthen the muscles and improve the ability to hold the urine back without accidents.
In fact these exercises are thought to be the most effective non-invasive treatment for stress incontinence as one Norwegian study indicated. The impact of these exercises, electrical stimulation and vaginal cones was measured and it was found that these pelvic exercises are the most effective for helping women reverse the problem of stress incontinence.
To treat conditions such as vaginal or uterine prolapsed
A vaginal prolapse is said to occur when the vaginal canal protrudes from the vaginal opening and most often occurs as a consequence of childbirth. Similarly a uterine prolapse is said to occur when the uterus slips down from its original place and is also usually caused by difficult births of multiple births. Both these conditions can be aided by pelvic floor exercises for women.
In addition some women also claim to have better sex with the help of pelvic floor or Kegel’s exercises. In fact it is advisable for all women to do these exercises since these muscles weaken with pregnancy and childbirth, due to lack of exercise, after pelvic surgery, due to chronic constipation, a chronic cough or even just being overweight.
The muscles also tend to weaken after menopause and later in life so there is always reason to try and keep those muscles down below as strong as possible – even if there is no problem now, the exercises will help prevent them or lessen their severity in the future.
So how do you perform Kegel’s or pelvic floor exercises?
To perform these exercises properly and correctly, firstly identify the correct muscles to exercise. Clench the muscles as though trying to stop the flow of urine and hold for five seconds. Slowly relax and then repeat 5 times. This can be performed anywhere and at any time when seated.
Follow this link for more information about pelvic floor exercises for women and how to perform them, in the two different methods – the Slow Twitch (hold for five counts) and the Fast Twitch (hold for one count) methods.