Kegel is an exercise, proposed by Dr.Alfred Kegel in the early 1948; it strengthens the pubococcygeus muscle of pelvic floor muscles, according to Dr.Alfred Kegel from American College of Physicians-ACP, and will give good effect to the following cases:

Women after pregnancy: 

During pregnancy, old age or due to overweight, pelvic muscles structure will become weak, and loose. Normally, after giving birth, it would take months or even years for the vaginal muscles to become tight again, as it was. However, this time can be shortened if Kegel exercise will be practiced persistently. This exercise can help to tone the women’s pelvic floor and vaginal muscles again. It also helps to increase the women’s sexual desire and orgasm.

Improve the state of leaking urine: Urination incontinence (leaking of urine) or bowel incontinence (leaking of stool) are the consequence of weak pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening the pubococcygeus muscle (PC muscle) of pelvic floor muscles proves that it is the top therapy to women who always get the urge of urination or urine incontinence because of stress (5 times more effective than no exercise). The effective treatment even works better on middle-age women (40-50 years old) who only suffer urine incontinence.

Prevent genital prolapse or rectal prolapse.

Male: Controlling ejaculation and lengthening time for having sex are what all men in the world desire for. Kegel exercise for men helps them to be able to assure that there will be no premature ejaculation or hard to get erection. This therapy helps to improve the sexual desire, prolong sex time, stability of erection, and strengthens ejaculation.

Practice steps

Finding the pelvic floor muscles in women:

• You can determine your pelvic floor muscles by holding the flow of urine midway. Before practicing the Kegel exercise, you need to define your pelvic floor muscles. The most common way to know where your pelvic floor muscles are is to stop your urine mid-flow and hold it. When you tighten your pelvic floor muscles to "hold urine" and release to continue urinating, you will clearly feel where the pelvic Kegel muscle you need to exercise.
• Use your finger to determine: If you're still having trouble recognizing the location of Kegel muscle, put a finger in your vagina and tighten the muscle part. You will feel the muscles tighten and your pelvic floor moves up. Relax and then you feel the pelvic floor moves back to normal. Be sure to clean your fingers before putting them in your vagina.

• Use a hand mirror to identify your Kegel muscle: You can use the other way of placing a hand mirror opposite the perineal area, ie the area between the vagina and the anus. Practice tightening and relaxing the area you think is Kegel muscle. If you do this correctly, you will find your perineum shrinking every time you tighten your muscles.

Finding pelvic floor muscles in men:

• Locate your pelvic floor muscle by stop your urine mid-flow and hold it;  you can easily feel the movement of the pelvic floor muscle contraction to prevent urination. You can also put a finger in your anus; the anus will tighten when your finger contacts to the pelvic floor muscle. 

Practice Kegel

Position:

You can do this exercise while sitting on a chair or lying on the floor. But you must make sure that the muscles in your buttocks and abdomen are totally relaxed. If you lie on the floor, lie straightly, put your hands on the sides and bend your knees up. Place your head on the floor to avoid neck strain.

You can choose 1 from the 2 following options:

Slow Kegel:

• Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold for 3 - 5 seconds and then rest 3-5 seconds, doing so 8- 12 times. You will try to practice until you can:
• Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold for 10 seconds, relax for 10 seconds, redo 8- 12 times.

Fast Kegel:

• Tighten your pelvic floor muscles for 1 second and relax right after that, do it again for 10-30 times.

  Practice 1 in 2 above exercises 3-4 times per day, you can practice it while watching TV, standing or sitting on your working chair...

Need to practice in 15-20 weeks to feel the improvement and to achieve a good result. 

Kegel "pull-in" exercise. This is a variant of the Kegel exercise. To do this exercise, imagine that your pelvic floor muscle is a vacuum cleaner. Stretch your buttocks and raise your legs up and inward. Hold the position for 5 - 10 seconds and relax. Do this 10 times.

Cautions while practicing Kegel exercise:

• Make sure that your bladder is empty before starting to practice Kegel exercise, or else, you will feel pain and leak.

• Concentrate on tighten pelvic floor muscles only: Try not to trigger other muscles such as buttocks, thigh or abdomen because Kelgel exercises affect to the pelvic floor muscles only.
• Inhale and exhale while practicing Kegel exercise for effective result. This will help you relax and get the most benefits from the exercises.
• Place your hand on your stomach to assure that your abdominal muscles are relaxed.
• If you feel back pain a little bit after the exercises, it means you have not done it correctly.

NGUYEN TRI QUANG, MD.

Urologist & Andrologist  at Victoria Healthcare International Clinic