| Dr. Arnold Kegel was the first to develop a set of exercises to exercise the pelvic floor muscles, especially pubococcygeus muscles (PC muscles). These muscles are involved in urination, bowel movements, sexual intercourse and, in women, during labour.
Aging, surgery, labor, excessive weight gain and specific diseases can bring on debilitating in the pelvic area, leading to urinary and bowel incontinence. In men, weakening of the pelvis can also result in premature ejaculation. The weakened pelvic floor muscles can trigger a decrease in sexual gratification in both males and females.
Thus, Kegel exercises are suitable for various purposes. This kind of exercising should be the principal point of a management program to handle stress or urinary and fecal incontinence. The pc muscles involved by this form of exercises include the anal and urinary sphincter. In males, the exercising can "lift" the testicles. Sometimes the results are noticeable in a few weeks after the regular exercising, but some males observe their testicles lifting in no time at all.
Like any muscle of the body, the pc muscles, if not engaged or "worked out" regularly, become weak and eventually atrophy. Vaginal atrophy is a particular medical condition for post-menopausal females.
In females, deficiency of muscle tone in the pelvic area can trigger vaginal or uterine prolapse, sometimes referred to as fallen uterus.
The conditions can be very uncomfortable and sometimes need surgery. But, the main cause is a collapse of the pelvic floor that keeps the inner organs in place.
Kegel exercises can forestall these conditions and can be helpful in treating them, as well.
To make sure you know how to contract the pc muscles, try to stop the urine flow while you are going to the washroom. This is the basic movement. Or try another method: insert a finger into the vagina and try to compress the muscles. Try to feel your vagina become tight and your pelvic floor move up. Then stop contracting your muscles and feel your pelvic floor move downwards to the initial position.
Stopping or starting the urine flow regularly is unhealthy. Doing Kegel exercises with a full bladder or when urinating can actually weaken the muscles. It can also cause incomplete emptying of the bladder, thus putting a woman at risk of a urinary tract infection.
Kegel exercises are to be performed on a regular basis to achieve the best results. A set of Kegel exercises for males and females can be discovered at kegel-exercise.org. Remember it is better to forestall a disease than to treat it. |
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