Kegel Exercises for Pelvic Pain

Performing Kegel exercises correctly can be very beneficial. These exercises work on strengthening the pelvic floor, helping with incontinence, improving sexual performance and gratification and reducing pelvic pain. Once you learn how to work your pubococcygeus muscles (PC muscles) effectively, you'll live a healthier life. Kegel exercises are easy can be done anywhere.

Squeeze, Hold, Release

• First, find your PC muscles. The next time you're urinating, stop your stream midway. The muscles you feel constricting are your PC muscles. Make sure you're not tightening any other muscles, like your thighs, buttocks or abs, when squeezing your PC. Once you find the right muscles, you're ready to go.

  The core exercises use a combination of squeezing as tight as you can, holding for as long as you can and gradually letting go. Start by squeezing your PC muscles, holding for three or four seconds and then letting go. Repeat this 10 times, resting for five to 10 seconds between reps. Perform a full squeeze, and don't use any other muscles.

Rapid Squeezes

• Another exercise includes short, rapid squeezes. Squeeze your PC muscles as strong as possible, let go as soon as it hits its peak and squeeze your hardest again. Try this for 20 to 30 seconds, averaging about one squeeze per second. When you get comfortable, speed up your contractions (try to do two a second). After a couple of weeks, you should feel your pelvic floor gradually strengthening, helping to ease any pains.

Prevent Pelvic Problems

• When you cough, sneeze, jump or lift a heavy object, squeeze your PC muscles. This will help prevent damage and strain to the pelvic floor. If you can remember to treat your pelvic diaphragm with the utmost care, you may not have to deal with any pelvic pains to begin with.

Add Resistance

• When men have an erect penis, hang a hand cloth on it, and try to lift it by squeezing your PC muscles. This is also an effective exercise, but you'll probably tire out before you get complete a full exercise. Work this into your daily routine when you go to the bathroom every morning.

  Women can buy products, use fingers or insert foam objects into their vagina to help add resistance when squeezing the PC muscles. The Kegelmaster is a popular product and has been effective for many women. Adding resistance helps build your PC muscle faster and more effectively. It's the difference between simply flexing your biceps and actually lifting dumbbells.

Tips

• The most important rule for Kegel exercises is to make sure you are working the PC muscles and the PC muscles only. Don't tighten your abs, buttocks, thighs or only your sphincter muscle when performing the exercises, as this will result in minimal effects and could possibly be detrimental to your body.

  Don't do more than you can handle. Only squeeze as hard and hold for as long as you can do effectively. If you have to use other muscles to squeeze your PC, you're not going to see maximum results. Doing a few correct squeezes is better than many half-hearted ones.

  Increase your hold time and rapid-squeeze duration every two or three days. Your goal should be to hold your squeeze for 10 seconds, for 10 repetitions. Once you can do this three or four times a day, you're getting a full Kegel workout. Try to work your rapid squeezes up to 30 to 45 seconds, performing full squeezes as quickly as possible.

  These are long-term exercises. You'll have to keep a consistent exercise schedule for three to six months before you see any results. Be patient, these exercises can be done almost anywhere at any time of the day, so it's not like it is taking time out of your schedule.