There are lots of women out there earnestly doing Kegels, but incorrectly. Many women mistakenly tighten their buttock, thigh, or abdominal muscles instead of their pelvic floor muscles when doing a Kegel. While this may get them in shape for bikini weather, it won’t tone the muscles needed to prevent urinary incontinence … or increase sexual satisfaction.
Biofeedback: One Way to Ensure a Correct Kegel
If you are not sure whether you are doing your Kegel exercises correctly, or you are not getting the desired results, then you may want to consider biofeedback. Biofeedback uses a computerized device which tells you, with pictures and/or sounds, whether you are tightening the right muscles during a Kegel contraction.
There are several types of biofeedback machines available, and most are used as part of a therapy session guided by a nurse specialist or physical therapist. Usually, one of two types of sensors is used in biofeedback therapy. One is a tampon-like sensor that is placed inside the vagina. The other is an external sensor that is placed just outside the anus.
These sensors are then connected to a computer, which converts the electrical activity from your muscles (as you do a Kegel) into either pictures or sounds that are “fed back” to you. You will actually see and/or hear when you are tightening the correct pelvic floor muscles, and when you are not.
The job of the physical therapist or nurse specialist is to guide you in using the biofeedback machine until you can properly locate and contract your pelvic floor muscles. You then become much more aware of your pelvic floor muscles, and eventually can do correct Kegel contractions without the biofeedback machine. This kind of biofeedback therapy has been shown to be effective in resolving symptoms of women’s urinary incontinence.
So, if you aren’t sure whether you are doing Kegels correctly, or your results are less than satisfactory, consider seeking the help of a physical therapist offering biofeedback therapy.
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