What are kegel or pelvic floor exercises?

[Nurse_Nettie]

@ElleBelle yes! Strong pelvic floor muscles help prevent accidental leaks when excerising, coughing, laughing, sneezing or lifting — all things that put pressure on the bladder! If this happens to you a lot, it’s called stress incontinence & it’s really common. Pelvic floor strengthening is often the cure, but it’s worth talking to a doctor so you can get a thorough check up & advice specific to you.  

[Curiosity]

Has anyone tried the beads that are meant to help with your kegal exercises? I just found them hard to use, is there a trick?

[ElleBelle]

Ooh what are the beads @Curiosity?

[Curiosity]

@ElleBelle ben wa kegal balls

[NickiPower]

I’ve had a look at the kegal balls @Curiosity @ellebelle, and wonder if they would help work your core to the extreme. That would be awesome (and another benefit)! When you say hard to use, is it hard to keep them in?

[MsBlueStreak]

So I followed the links that @Nurse_Nettie has provided us…. and this line makes no sense to me:

To prevent damage to your pelvic floor muscles, avoid:

• constipation and/or straining with a bowel motion
• persistent heavy lifting
• repetitive coughing and straining
• putting on too much weight.

I just don’t understand how to intentionally avoid constipation, (or repetitive coughing actually, because the aftermath of my most recent cold is a ridiculous cough).

[Nurse_Nettie]

@MsBlueStreak It’s a good point! You can’t always control those things! I think the message is meant to be: these are all risk factors for developing pelvic floor weakness. It’s about long term strain causing damage over time though. For example: if you have occasional constipation, it’s unlikely to cause a problem. But if you’re prone to constipation & usually strain with every poo, you may end up with pelvic floor damage. 

[MsBlueStreak]

Thanks for the clarification @Nurse_Nettie – I just found the instructional nature of the language to be weird (and not really helpful).

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