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Bladder HealthKegel exercisesMany women who suffer from stress incontinence, or loss of bladder control when you cough, sneeze, laugh or lift heavy objects, are told to do Kegel exercises. These exercises are designed to help you strengthen the muscles controlling the bladder opening and can be effective in improving symptoms. The first step in doing Kegel exercises is to identify the proper muscles. One way to do this is to start and stop your urine stream. Another way is to tighten your rectal muscles as if to hold back gas or a bowel movement. While these do not directly surround your bladder, the rectal muscles will always work with them. It is important to isolate the right muscles and not use your stomach, buttock or leg muscles.Once the muscles are identified, Kegel exercises involve slowly and quickly tightening and relaxing them. For a slow Kegel, tighten your muscles for 3-10 seconds and then relax them for 3-10 seconds. For a quick Kegel, tighten and relax your muscles rapidly. Most bladder strengthening exercises include a set of 10 Kegels four times a day. Each week, the number of tightenings and relaxations increase, as does the length of time that tightenings are held. As you can see, Kegel exercises can be done anywhere at any time and no one else is even aware. But persistence is key. To notice an improvement in bladder health, Kegels need to be done consistently and you need to follow up with your health care provider regularly. If you have any questions on Kegels or any related treatments or symptoms, please talk to your health care provider. Many women do have problems identifying the right muscles to use and your health care provider can help.
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