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View Full Version : PSA: Ladies, do your kegels!!!!



DebbieJ
03-29-2011, 12:30 PM
Otherwise you'll end up in PT for pelvic floor weakness like me and everyone there will say "oh you're too young to be this weak!" Gee, thanks!

KEGEL KEGEL KEGEL! Incorporate it into your daily activities and do them!

eagle
03-29-2011, 12:36 PM
i read here on bbb that you dont need to do them!

:dizzy:

DebbieJ
03-29-2011, 12:50 PM
i read here on bbb that you dont need to do them!

:dizzy:

Really? That's interesting...

SnuggleBuggles
03-29-2011, 01:03 PM
Yeah, wasn't that the thing that if you do lots of squats and other strength things like that that it helps the pelvic floor too?

I do both. I just started making more of a kegel effort lately as it seemed necessary. Used to have kegels of steel and working back to that...long way to go.

eta- I went to PT after ds2. I never was that bad off and once I started doing them again I went from a 1.5 on her scale to a 4 out of 5 in a few weeks. So, just out of shape vs never in shape. :)

Beth

Schmitty21
03-29-2011, 01:23 PM
Wow - PT? Good tip! Thanks for the extra encouragement.

I make a little game out of it - try to hold them while I am riding in an elevator, or while driving, I'll pick out a target down the road and try to hold a Kegel until I get to that sign/exit/bridge/whatever.

It's definitely helpful when racing for the bathroom! :-O

BabbyO
03-29-2011, 01:24 PM
Yeah, wasn't that the thing that if you do lots of squats and other strength things like that that it helps the pelvic floor too?


I would imagine that is the case...but only if you do your squats appropriately. If you don't engage your kegels when you do your squats...it won't matter.

OP - thanks for the reminder. I've been SO bad about this...and need the reminder!

citymama
03-29-2011, 01:32 PM
Thanks OP for the reminder - I can already see the difference (weakening) between DD1 and DD2's birth, and I really need to do more Kegels.

BigDog
03-29-2011, 01:43 PM
I've never done kegels. Someone please tell dumb ol' me why I need to start doing them? I just pushed out kid #2 6mos ago. Are my parts gonna start failing me??!

daisymommy
03-29-2011, 01:44 PM
i read here on bbb that you dont need to do them!

:dizzy:

Here ya go: http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html

Suggests too many Kegels can CAUSE pelvic floor damage.

My midwives have suggested other exercises that they say are more effective than Kegels. That said, when you have a prolapse (total TMI!) all the Kegels in the world won't help...unfortunately.

DebbieJ
03-29-2011, 01:55 PM
There are lots of other exercises (i.e. squats) that help engage other muscles that assist the pelvic floor as well. I am learning and doing all of those in PT too.

Seems kegels are a debated topic out there.

Myira
03-29-2011, 03:31 PM
I am so confused. Do kegels or not? I have incontinence since my last delivery, when I cough laugh, sneeze.

Also sorry to digress, but what is pelvic floor prolapse?

DrSally
03-29-2011, 03:58 PM
Thanks for the reminder, I'm sorry you're going through this. Interesting discussion on the value of Kegals.

boltfam
03-29-2011, 04:04 PM
Otherwise you'll end up in PT for pelvic floor weakness like me and everyone there will say "oh you're too young to be this weak!" Gee, thanks!

KEGEL KEGEL KEGEL! Incorporate it into your daily activities and do them!

:yeahthat: I'm with ya sister, and I'm not even 30 yet!

boltfam
03-29-2011, 04:07 PM
I am so confused. Do kegels or not? I have incontinence since my last delivery, when I cough laugh, sneeze.

Also sorry to digress, but what is pelvic floor prolapse?

Not a scientific answer, but basically, a weakened pelvic floor can lead to prolapse (falling down ) of the uterus, bladder, rectum, and other pelvic organs.

swissair81
03-29-2011, 05:54 PM
There are lots of other exercises (i.e. squats) that help engage other muscles that assist the pelvic floor as well. I am learning and doing all of those in PT too.

Seems kegels are a debated topic out there.

I just spent 4 months doing PT with a Women's Health PT for assorted pelvic issues after #4. She gave me lots of exercises to do, but warned me not to do kegels.

swissair81
03-29-2011, 05:56 PM
I am so confused. Do kegels or not? I have incontinence since my last delivery, when I cough laugh, sneeze.

Also sorry to digress, but what is pelvic floor prolapse?

There is a therapy place in Michigan that has a whole women's health specialty. They work with pelvic issues, painful pregnancies, and incontinence. You can find one in your area on the APTA website.

SnuggleBuggles
03-29-2011, 05:56 PM
I just spent 4 months doing PT with a Women's Health PT for assorted pelvic issues after #4. She gave me lots of exercises to do, but warned me not to do kegels.

Really? My PT was 3 years ago but pretty much all kegels and then some biofeedback stuff. But, the at home exercises were all kegels. What exercises did they suggest instead?

Beth

swissair81
03-29-2011, 05:57 PM
Really? My PT was 3 years ago but pretty much all kegels and then some biofeedback stuff. But, the at home exercises were all kegels. What exercises did they suggest instead?

Beth

I have a whole list that my PT gave me. I'll go find them after bedtime is over at the zoo.

lalasmama
03-29-2011, 08:59 PM
Really? My PT was 3 years ago but pretty much all kegels and then some biofeedback stuff. But, the at home exercises were all kegels. What exercises did they suggest instead?

Beth

:yeahthat:
I finished my pelvic floor PT a month ago, and my therapist was VERY pro-kegals...

Had to laugh about the biofeedback. I would tell DD that I was playing a video game, and she always asked where the controller was. She wouldn't believe me when I told her my insides were the controller :ROTFLMAO:

Not too long ago, there was a thread in Healthy You about pelvic floor PT as well.

TMI Alert: For those who are dealing with some urine leakage or pelvic congestion, PT is soooo worth the momentary embarrassment! I no longer worry if everyone knows my "secret"--no more pads, no more drips, no more "do I smell/did I leak?" concerns when intimate times come up. Aaaahhhh, its almost like a whole new world opened up to me once I started PT!

MamaMolly
03-29-2011, 09:40 PM
:bag I gotta know, how do they determine that your PF is weak?

SnuggleBuggles
03-29-2011, 09:50 PM
My midwife told me. :) Part of the exam is to do a kegel.

But, an obvious indicator is leakage. You could also try the pee test- pee and mid flow try to stop it. Can you? Can you easily? You;ll get a sense of how things are going down there.

Beth

daisymommy
03-29-2011, 09:51 PM
Oh you'll know....it will feel like your insides are bulging out where they should not be...
Or you will leak urine when you laugh or sneeze.
Fun stuff.

boltfam
03-29-2011, 09:57 PM
Oh you'll know....it will feel like your insides are bulging out where they should not be...
Or you will leak urine when you laugh or sneeze.
Fun stuff.

:yeahthat: That's totally the answer I had formulated in my head.

Swissair- where in MI is this place you speak of? On the east side?

swissair81
03-29-2011, 10:09 PM
:yeahthat: That's totally the answer I had formulated in my head.

Swissair- where in MI is this place you speak of? On the east side?

It's part of the DMC. In Rehab Institute of Michigan. They have one on the main DMC campus near Wayne State, another in Southfield, another in Novi. The back of my prescription had at least 10 people to call at different sites. My OB said the best one of all of them is Tina at the Novi branch (12 Mile and M-5 right near 12 Oaks mall).

boltfam
03-29-2011, 10:29 PM
It's part of the DMC. In Rehab Institute of Michigan. They have one on the main DMC campus near Wayne State, another in Southfield, another in Novi. The back of my prescription had at least 10 people to call at different sites. My OB said the best one of all of them is Tina at the Novi branch (12 Mile and M-5 right near 12 Oaks mall).

Thanks for the info. Darn..I'm on the west side.

BabyMine
03-29-2011, 11:04 PM
Unfortunately, nothing worked for me and I will be having surgery soon.

DebbieJ
03-29-2011, 11:09 PM
Here ya go: http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html

Suggests too many Kegels can CAUSE pelvic floor damage.

My midwives have suggested other exercises that they say are more effective than Kegels. That said, when you have a prolapse (total TMI!) all the Kegels in the world won't help...unfortunately.

I read the interview linked and I also read some other stuff by that same woman. I don't think she's saying DON'T kegel, I think she's saying do kegels AND other exercises that help support the pelvic floor. I think a lot of women do kegels thinking that's all you really need to do, when you really need strong abs, glutes, hips, quads, and hamstrings too. But saying "don't do kegels" gets more publicity, I'm sure. ;)

In my PT so far, kegels are just one of many exercises that she has me doing. She said playing hulu hoop on Wii Fit was very good for helping to keep your pelvis aligned. :)

american_mama
03-30-2011, 11:56 AM
I don't believe Kegels have no place in pelvic floor PT. I did several months of it last fall with a PT who specializes in pelvic floor, and she talked about "new kegels" which never sounded so new to me. She emphasized the hold of the kegel and the release equally, she warned against mistaken kegels ("riding the horse" where you clench your butt cheeks more than actually lifting your internal muscles), and she did say you need to engage your core and especially your transverse abdominals.

She used biofeedback using a laptop and internal senseor, and her scale was much bigger than what Beth described. A 4 or 6 would be very weak and about a 20 would be what you wanted to get too. I also bought an internal home unit - not cheap at all - and the scale on that is much lower, 1-6.

On the one hand, I trust my PT's expertise. On the other hand, she was terribly touchy feely, which bugged me, and I didn't improve as much as I expected for all the time and money I spent. And I am astonished at the range of advice that has been mentioned here and some things mentioned which she didn't use (hula hoop, full body exervises).

Maybe I'll switch to another PT who is more covered by insurance. The frustrations above, and a change in my insurnace, is what led me to stop going.

eta: I only read half that article, but so far, I don't believe the kegels-are-bad supposed expert. What's her training anyway? She's neither a doctor nor a physical therapist from what I can figure out. I've read the book "Ever Since I Had My Baby" written by a urogynecologist, and he does not say the same thing as her, nor does my pelvic floor PT. I'd like to print this article and show it to my PT, but that would involve going back to her. Then again, typing this had made me realize she still has my "Ever Since I Had My Bab" book.