![]() We can provide care for any condition related to the pelvic floor. So, we are able to manage a very wide spectrum of conditions. We’re lucky that our team of specialists at the Center for Pelvic Health is truly a multispecialty group. What types of things does UChicago Medicine’s Center for Pelvic Health do that make it stand out from other hospitals? At the University of Chicago Medicine, we have a very good physical therapy team that specializes in pelvic floor issues. It’s been proven in research studies that it’s more effective than doing them on your own. You can find instructions for kegels online and do them on your own, but if you have someone who teaches you how to do them, and gives you professional feedback, it helps you do the exercises correctly and more effectively. ![]() It’s like having a personal trainer at the gym. They use different techniques for monitoring and provide feedback. Pelvic floor physical therapists can teach you how to do kegels in a correct and more effective way. Can physical therapists help with kegels?Ībsolutely. They have incomplete bladder emptying, so you don’t want them to further strengthen their pelvic floor muscles and possibly worsen their bladder emptying. There are very rare situations when they’re not recommended, such as in patients with urinary retention problems. They are pretty much beneficial for all patients. Do you recommend them to all your patients? Chronic straining is a risk factor for developing and worsening problems like pelvic organ prolapse or stress incontinence. And two, straining results in the opposite effect. Many strain and increase their abdominal pressure. Women often incorrectly contract their buttocks or gluteal muscles, or inner thighs, and basically squeeze their thighs together. What can happen if you do a kegel incorrectly? A lot of women do them wrong and that can exacerbate certain problems. During pregnancy, women can benefit from them if they do them correctly. Keeping up with pelvic floor health is good. We go to a gym to address muscles in our arms and legs, but we neglect the pelvic floor muscles. Are kegels only for people with pelvic problems? Or can anyone do them? For example, men who undergo prostate surgery may benefit from kegel exercises. They help men with overactive bladder symptoms, stress, gas, or fecal incontinence symptoms. Are kegels only for women? Or, are kegels for men, too? Even if it’s psychological, it can help women feel better about their pelvic floor, so there’s a positive benefit. It might be tighter because women are better able to contract their muscles, and that might improve sensation. But strengthening the pelvic floor muscles with kegel exercises can make it a little bit more taut. A lot of women, after childbirth, feel like their vagina is not as tight as it was before and they want to have surgery for that. Kegels improve blood circulation to the pelvic floor and vagina, and this may be helpful for arousal and lubrication. They also can improve the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (a herniation that causes the vaginal walls to collapse and protrude, causing the pelvic organs to descend from their normal anatomical position). ![]() They help with the leakage from urine, gas or fecal incontinence. While there’s little scientific evidence to prove it, some doctors believe it also has potential to make sex more pleasurable. What are kegels?Ī kegel (pronounced kee-gull) is a pelvic floor muscle exercise that can strengthen pelvic muscles, support pelvic organs, and help control incontinence of urine, bowels and gas. I fully encourage patients to learn more about kegels, who should do them, and why they’re part of a leading-edge treatment for many conditions. ![]() Then it’s time to learn about kegel exercises.Īs a urogynecologist and co-director of the Center for Pelvic Health, I specialize in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. If there was an exercise that took 30 seconds, didn’t require equipment, didn’t require a doctor’s appointment before starting, and had physical and possibly even sexual benefits - you’d do it, right? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |