Many women may remember hearing about pelvic floor exercises as they watched a few hilarious scenes from Sex And The City (shout out to Samantha!).
Although typically, we hear the term “pelvic floor” in relation to women, men also have a pelvic floor and can benefit from doing exercises to strengthen it as well.
So What Is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor helps control your bladder and bowels and helps with sexual function.
However, there are some notable differences between men and women when it comes to pelvic floors.
For women, doctors suggest you imagine it as a sling of muscles that stretch from the pubic bone to the tailbone as well as from side-to-side. The ‘sling’ supports a woman’s bladder, bowel, and womb.
For men, the pelvic floor consists of a similar group of muscles that act as a “hammock”’ for the bladder and bowel.
Why Should I Worry About Strengthening My Pelvic Floor?
For women, a strong pelvic floor can mean a lower risk of vaginal prolapse and speedier recovery after pregnancy.
For men, it can mean a speedier recovery after prostate surgery and a lower risk of rectal prolapse.
What Causes the Pelvic Floor to Weaken?
There are a number of causes, but the most common are:
Treatment of prostate cancer in men
Obesity
Chronic straining as the result of constipation
Not exercising
Aging
How Can I Strengthen My Pelvic Floor?
There are a number of exercises that are effective in strengthening the pelvic floor, but perhaps the most well-known is the “Kegel,” named after the gynecologist Dr. Arnold Kegel, who introduced and promoted the practice of exercising the pelvic floor muscles in the 1940s.
The Art Of The Kegel
Both men and women can perform exercises to strengthen these muscles.
For starters, identify the muscles in question by attempting to stop urination midstream or by tightening your muscles as though you’re trying to prevent passing gas. (Note: you should not stop urinating midstream as a habit as it can prevent your bladder from fully draining and increase the risk of a urinary infection.)
Once you’ve identified the muscles that make up your pelvic floor, it’s time to work on technique.
For women, some doctors advise you to imagine you are sitting on a marble and then using your muscles to ‘lift’ the marble into your vagina, holding for about three seconds a time.
For both men and women, try tightening these muscles for three seconds at a time and resting for three seconds in between sets. Though it may be easier to start out lying down on your back, once you’ve got the hang of it, you can do these exercises while walking, standing, or sitting.
And though it might be tempting, avoid tensing your buttocks, abdomen, or thighs, and resist the urge to hold your breath.
It’s recommended that you practice this exercise on a daily basis — aim for about ten repetitions each day.
Are There Other Exercises That Are Effective?
The answer is yes! And you may already be doing them if you workout frequently. Here are two additional exercises that can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles:
The Plank
Currently a favorite with all the exercise gurus, the plank can be a fantastic way to strengthen your core. It also engages the pelvic muscles, which help strengthen them.
If you’re not sure how to do a plank, pull up YouTube and enter “plank” as a search criterion. You won’t be disappointed by the number of videos available to help you learn to plank like a pro.
Hip Bridges
Many gym rats do these exercises regularly to strengthen their gluteus muscles. The bonus? They also help strengthen the pelvic floor.
As with the plank, if you want to perfect your hip bridges, look no further than YouTube!
Squats
As with the other two exercises, most fitness buffs perform countless squat reps to improve overall strength and the look of their bodies.
But — you guessed it — they’re also great for strengthening the pelvic floor.
Note: not all squats are equal. For strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, narrow, shallow squats are most effective.
When Can I Expect to See Results?
As with all exercise, success is dependent on how diligent you are about doing it.
If you’re doing your daily Kegels, for example, you can expect to experience benefits in a few weeks to a few months.
After pregnancy, exercising your pelvic floor muscles can produce results in six to twelve weeks.
The urologists at Norman Urology can walk you through the best exercises that will be most effective in strengthening your pelvic floor.
If you’re experiencing urinary incontinence or any other symptom of a weakened pelvic floor, why not schedule an appointment with us today?