In 1948, Dr Arnold Kegel was the first practitioner to describe a pelvic floor muscle contraction, AKA the Kegel. His studies concluded that performing kegels may help to improve pelvic floor muscle strength, help to treat urinary incontinence, and he even “accidently” found it may improve sexual function.
But did you know that about 30% of women perform kegels incorrectly!
So, how do you properly do a kegel? Let’s use some imagery.
Imagine there was a blueberry at the opening of your vagina. Pick up that blueberry and lift it up into the vagina!
Or..
Imagine you were trying to pull water through a straw at the opening of your vagina.
You should not feel your butt, legs, or six-pack tummy muscles contract.
Although a kegel should stop your pee stream, Please! For the love of your pelvic floor…. Do NOT practice kegels when you are peeing! Doing kegels while you pee can confuse the bladder and lead to dysfunctional bladder emptying.
While kegels may serve a very important purpose, they aren't always the answer. Think about the last time you had a really tight neck muscle. Did you want to do 100 shoulder shrugs, or did you want to stretch and get a massage? Your pelvic floor is the same! Pelvic floor muscles can be tight and cause pelvic pain, leakage, constipation, and sexual dysfunction. Doing kegels may worsen these symptoms!
If you have tried kegels at every stop light and still have pelvic floor dysfunction, email me at motherhoodwithmacy@gmail.com.
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