St. Louis, MO     636-225-3649
Legacy Physical Therapy
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Staff Profiles
  • Physical Therapy
    • Virtual Visits
    • Bladder Control Issues
    • Prenatal Pain
    • Postpartum Care
    • Pelvic Pain
    • Pelvic Prolapse
  • Fitness
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost
    • Talk To A PT On The Phone
    • Free Discovery Visit
    • Virtual Visit Request
  • We're Hiring!
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Help
    • Staff Profiles
  • Physical Therapy
    • Virtual Visits
    • Bladder Control Issues
    • Prenatal Pain
    • Postpartum Care
    • Pelvic Pain
    • Pelvic Prolapse
  • Fitness
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Contact Information
    • Ask About Availability & Cost
    • Talk To A PT On The Phone
    • Free Discovery Visit
    • Virtual Visit Request
  • We're Hiring!

3 Reasons Why Kegels May Not Be Working For You

8/5/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Are you experiencing bladder leakage? Have you tried kegels exercises, but are not noticing any improvement in your bladder leakage? [...]
Are you experiencing bladder leakage? Have you tried kegels exercises, but are not noticing any improvement in your bladder leakage?

​Many of our patients ask when they come to see us… “aren’t you just going to teach me how to do Kegel exercises? I have already been doing those exercise and they are not helping.  I am still leaking so what are you going to tell me that’s different.”


I am going to give you 3 reasons why Kegel exercises may not be helping your bladder leakage.

First, a brief explanation:

A Kegel exercise is the Layman’s term for a contraction of the pelvic floor muscle. When our pelvic floor muscles contract, they lift up and into our body and they close off around the urethra, vagina, and anus preventing pee and poop from coming out. These muscles are working all day for us but they need to work extra hard in situations where there’s more the load through the pelvis such as when we cough, laugh, sneeze, jump, run, or lift. Therefore, if a person is experiencing bladder leakage, they are told by their doctor, or they read in a magazine that they should be doing Kegel exercises to stop the leakage.



REASON #1
You maybe doing the exercise incorrectly. Research studies have shown that of women who are told to do Kegel exercises, about 40% of them are doing the exercise wrong. They think they are contracting the pelvic floor muscles but they may actually be pushing out on the muscles instead or using all together different muscles.


REASON #2
Your pelvic floor muscles might be too tight instead of too weak. A tight, tense muscle is not a muscle that does its job effectively. A muscle needs to be able to contract relax and move. Some women keep their pelvic floor tight all day long and they do not even realize that they are doing it. If the pelvic floor muscles are already too tight, doing more Kegel Exercises, tensing the muscle more isn’t going to help. You need to first learn to relax the pelvic floor and teach it how to move better before you can strengthen it.


REASON #3
Your leakage might not be a strength issue at all. It might be a timing issue. You may not be recruiting the muscles at the right time. You may need to work with someone to help you figure out how to get the pelvic floor muscles to contract at the right time. Many women can do Kegel exercises just fine when they are laying down or sitting still, but when they have to coordinate them with other movements the timing goes out the door.
So if you are experiencing bladder leakage and have tried Kegel exercises and they don’t seem to be working, it may be time to partner with a pelvic health physical therapist to help you figure out the root cause of your leakage and get you on the right path to dry days.
2 Comments
Lydia Renteria
3/17/2020 03:10:25 pm

I have a bladder sling can you still do the emsella if you have a bladder sling and also sometimes I just start leaking & can't stop it, it just keeps flowing.? Also if I see water like I turn on the faucet it makes me drip is that going to fix all that?

Reply
Brooke Kalisiak link
3/17/2020 04:59:55 pm

Hi Lydia, This would be a great question for the surgeon who did the bladder sling. I don't think there is a contra-indication for trying the emsella with a sling, but you would want to make sure first. The emsella is a newer product out there, and it is not one that we currently use at our facility so I am unable to answer if it would be effective for your particular type of leakage.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    "We help women who are tired of leaking, dealing with pelvic pain, and wanting to get their body back in shape after baby (even if it’s been 30 years) all without relying on medications or surgery."

    Picture

    Brooke Kalisiak
    Specialist Physical Therapist

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    October 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    October 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    November 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    August 2009

    Categories

    All
    Activity
    Baby
    Bill
    Bladder
    Bladder Habits
    Bladder Health
    Bladder Leakage
    Bladder Pain
    Bone Health
    Bowel Health
    Caffeine
    Cancer Support Community
    Cancer Survivorship Walk
    Cardiovascular Training
    Charity
    Chocolate
    Class
    Clinic Information
    Constipation
    Core Muscle
    Core Strength
    Desk Job
    Diaphragmatic Breathing
    Diastasis Recti
    Donations
    Dyspareunia
    Educational Classes
    Endometriosis
    Essential Oils
    Event
    Exercise
    Fecal Incontinence
    Fibromyalgia
    Fitness
    Food Drive
    Frequency
    Gender Differences
    Gifts
    Goal Setting
    Government
    Gynecologist
    Health
    Health Information
    Health Tips
    Heart Attack Symptoms
    House Bill
    Houston Flood Donation
    Houston Flood Relief
    Incontinence
    Just For The Fun Of It
    Kegel
    Kegel Exercises
    Laughing
    Leakage
    Low Back Pain
    MDA
    Medical Therapy
    Menopause
    Mommy Pooch
    Mommy Tummy
    Motherhood
    Muscular Dystrophy Association
    My Mommy Metope
    New Years
    New Years Resolutions
    New York Times
    Nutrition
    OBGYN
    Osteoporosis
    Pain
    Painful Intercourse
    Painful Menstration
    Painful Periods
    Painful Sex
    Parenting
    Pelvic
    Pelvic Floor
    Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
    Pelvic Floor Muscles
    Pelvic Floor Therapy
    Pelvic Health
    Pelvic Organ Prolapse
    Pelvic Pain
    Pelvic Physical Therapy
    Pelvic Pressure
    Pelvic Prolapse
    Physcial Therapy
    Physical Therapist
    Physical Therapy
    PIPES
    Postpartum
    Postpartum Exercise
    Posture
    Pregnancy
    Pregnancy Pain
    Prolapse
    Scar Tissue
    Self Care
    Sex
    Sleep
    Strength
    Strength Training
    Stress Urinary Incontinence
    Stretching
    Surgery
    Toilet Habits
    Training
    Transverse Abdominal Muscles
    Uncategorized
    Urge Incontinence
    Urgency
    Urinary
    Urinary Incontinence
    Vaginal Pain
    Volleyball
    Walking
    Weight Loss
    Womans Health
    Women's Health
    Workouts

    RSS Feed



Address: 
​2961 Dougherty Ferry Road
​Suite 105
St. Louis MO 63122



Phone Number: 
​636-225-3649


Email:
​ info@legacytherapystl.com


Office Hours:
 By Appointment Only


Privacy Policy (click here) 

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:
All information on this website  is intended for instruction and informational purposes only. The authors are not responsible for any harm or injury that may result. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury. No guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied on this website. 
 Created by PT Website Secrets
© Legacy Physical Therapy All Rights Reserved