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Exercises for Bladder Control

Beneficial exercises for bladder control are a set of exercises called Kegel exercises, which are designed to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. Contracting and relaxing the Kegel muscles helps improve bladder control. When your muscles become weak, you may lose voluntary control of urine, causing incontinence. By working and exercising the relevant muscles, you can gain better control of your bladder.

  1. Locate Your Kegel Muscles

    • Both men and women have Kegel muscles near the pelvis which help control urination. The first step to performing exercises to improve bladder control is to locate these Kegel muscles. The easiest way to do this is to try to use them. When you urinate, try to stop the urine from coming out without using your buttock, leg or stomach muscles. When the urine stops, be conscious of the muscles you used to do it (the muscles that at that moment feel a bit stretched or tighter). Those are your Kegel muscles that you need to exercise in order to improve bladder control.

    Quick Flick

    • There are two sets of exercises involving your Kegel muscles which will help improve bladder control. First, try the "quick flick." This exercise involves contracting and relaxing the Kegel muscles in rapid succession. Contract the muscles and then relax them immediately; repeat this process 10 to 20 times. Repeat this repetition of 10 to 20 quick contract/relax movements 10 times. By the end of a set, you will have done 100 to 200 quick contract/relax exercises. Do this set of 10 repetitions three times each day--morning, noon and night.

    Slow Squeeze

    • While the quick flick builds up strength, the "slow squeeze" helps build endurance. Here, the idea is to squeeze the muscles slowly rather than rapidly many times in a row. Slowly squeeze the Kegel muscles while you count to four. Initially, you may find it difficult to tighten the muscles that slowly, and you may need to begin with a count of two and then work up to a count of four. Once you've tightened the muscles, hold them in the contracted position for three seconds. Repeat this six to 10 times as part of a set, and do several sets each day.

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