Who should do Kegels

This is a common question that I hear from patients. Most women and  men can benefit from pelvic floor strengthening by performing Kegel exercises.

 Women should begin pelvic floor strengthening when they are pregnant with their first child and continue to include it as part of their normal exercise program. Pregnancy and delivery are very hard on the pelvic floor muscles and structures and it is important that adequate strength is maintained to stave off pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. Most of the women I treat for these two issues are under the age of 40. 

That being said, as women age their chance of developing bladder control problems ( including urgency, frequency, and incontinence) rises and it is vitally important that post menopausal  women pay attention to the strength of their pelvic floor muscles and work to build and maintain it.
It is possible for women of any age to have what many refer to as a “weak bladder” This may include leaking a little when you laugh, cough, or sneeze, urinary frequency where you urinate more than 9-10 times a day or urinary urgency where you are unable to  put off going to the restroom once you have the urge to urinate. Anybody experiencing these symptoms can benefit from pelvic floor strengthening and should speak to the physician about starting a strengthening program.

Men can also benefit from improving the strength of their bladder control muscles. Because of the different design, men are less likely to develop incontinence without an underlying pathology. Incontinence after prostate cancer requiring prostatectomy is very common and kegal exercises can make a significant improvement in urinary leakage.  Studies also show men suffering from erectile dysfunction due to venous compromise can correct the dysfunction by participating in a pelvic floor exercise program.

It is important that if you have bladder or urinary problems, or pain, you should speak to your doctor about initiating a  pelvic floor strengthening program. You may require more specific instruction and need to see a women’s health physical therapist.  Pelvic floor strengthening should also include a rest component. So if you begin with 5 second hold, a 10 second rest period should be placed after every hold.