Kegel excercises
The idea of Kegel exercises is regular clenching and unclenching of muscles around vagina and urethra. The exercises have a lot of versions – you can keep muscles clenched for a few seconds or tense and relax them quickly. It is important to exercise regularly. Preferably start in the morning, before you get out of bed.
At first, you should locate pelvic muscles properly, if you want the exercises to bring the expected results. These muscles are placed in three layers between the bones of lesser pelvis. These layers cooperate with diaphragm and tense when you breathe.
Below, we explain how you can sense them:
- Stand astride, slightly bend forward, place your hands on buttocks and stick them out. Find ischiadic bones (the bones you are sitting on) and make such a move as if you tried to bring them closer to each other. You will feel the work of bottom pelvic muscles at the moment when you sense a subtle shifting of ischiadic bones to the middle.
- Stand slightly astride and place one hand on your pubic mound and the second on your caudal bone. Now tense your muscles as if you wanted to bring your caudal bone closer to your belly button. You will sense the work of bottom pelvic muscles at the moment when this move happens.
- 1.Sit astride on a chair with your back straight. Place your hand on your crotch and tighten your constrictors as if you wanted to stop yourself from urinating; you will feel how the muscles surrounding your urethra tense under your hand.
- Cough sitting in the same position, you will feel the work of bottom pelvic muscles.
You should do the below presented exercises possibly often, in sets of 10-12.
- Sit comfortably on soft bedding. Cross your legs in front of you and straighten your back. Place your hands on your buttocks and try to bring your ischiadic bones closer to each other by tensing the muscles of pelvic bottom. Relax your muscles after a while.
- Stand with your legs widely astride and bend deeply. Put your hands on your feet, place your buttocks possibly low and relax anus area. Take in four short inhales in a row (without breathing out); tense pelvic bottom muscles with your every breath as if you tried to lift vaginal area up. Now breathe out with four short exhalations (without breathing in) and relax crotch muscles.
- Stand on all fours, lean on your forearms. Place your head on your hands, space out your knees a little wider than hips width. Now tense muscles of pelvic basis and slowly move your hips round – ten times in one and ten times in other direction. Breathe deeply during the exercise.
- 1.Lay on your back with your knees bend and place your feet astride evenly to your hips width. Relax your body and then strongly (but not rapidly) tense pelvic bottom muscles and move your pelvis as if you tried to bring your pubic symphysis to your belly button. Keep it like that for a few seconds and then relax your muscles. Try not to lift your buttocks up the floor.
Also remember to strongly clench pelvic muscles when pressure in abdominal cavity rises, for example when you couch, lift something, get up from a chair, laugh – these are the moments when stress incontinence appears. After a while you won’t have to do it consciously because the muscles will clench automatically.
Despite of the common opinion, you should not exercise when using a toilet. It can lead to loss of ability of full relaxation during urination and complete emptying of a bladder. A consequence of this may be an infection of a urinary tract.
