Pelvic floor muscles are those set of muscles that support your uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum. When they’re working like they should, your pelvic floor muscles may never cross your mind. But over time, due to advancing age and various other factors, these muscles can start to weaken resulting in incontinence. Incontinence means leakage of urine (pee) or stool (poop) that you can’t control. Doing Kegel exercises can help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. This can help you manage or prevent physical problems like incontinence. Kegel’s exercises are also known as pelvic floor exercises. It is named after Dr. Arnold H Kegel who described this in 1952.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is composed of a thin sheet of muscular fibers and associated connective tissue which spans like a hammock underneath the pelvis and supports the Urinary bladder, Rectum, and Vagina with the uterus. (See illustration below).

 

What if my pelvic floor muscles are weak?

The weakness of the pelvic floor muscles may cause or worsen a number of problems

  • Urge incontinence: Urine leaks before reaching the desired place & time.
  • Stress incontinence: Leaks on stress or an increase in abdominal pressure.
  • Mixed urgency and stress incontinence: A combination of both stress and urge.
  • Pelvic Organ prolapse: Displacement of pelvic organs out of their destined place.