Are you leaking urine and your first thought is to kegel?
You can be leaking urine and kegels can sometimes make your symptoms worse. People are surprised when their pelvic floor therapist usually tells them they need to find a balance between length and strength of their pelvic floor muscles and address their breathing mechanics to improve their incontinence symptoms.
The pelvic floor muscles are unique in that they play a role in:
- How your bladder empties or stores urine
- How you empty or store stool
- How they affect sexual function
- Core strength and pelvic stability
Are kegels right for you?
Your pelvic floor physical therapist will perform a detailed evaluation to determine if you have a hypertonic or a hypotonic pelvic floor, assess your breathing mechanics and how you manage pressure within your system, as well as your core and hip strength and mobility.
Tight muscles in the hip musculature and pelvis can lead to back, hip, tailbone, or groin pain. If you have tightness and an overactive pelvic floor, kegels will make your incontinence worse and can lead to pain to the surrounding structures.
Consider talking to a pelvic floor therapist to find out if kegels are right for you!