- How to do Kegel exercises
- How to know which muscle to contract:
- How often do:
- How to do hypopressive gymnastics
Exercises to combat urinary incontinence can be Kegel exercises or hypopressive exercises, which are an excellent way to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, while also improving the function of the urethral sphincters.
To be able to control urinary incontinence with just these exercises, you need to do each contraction correctly, every day until the problem is completely resolved. Some people take longer than others to recover, for approximately 1 month it is possible to observe the results, but the treatment time can vary from 6 months to 1 year.
These exercises can be performed in the case of female or male urinary incontinence.
How to do Kegel exercises
How to know which muscle to contract:
To do Kegel exercises correctly, first identify the perineum muscle:
- Empty your bladder and then try to hold your urine. Now that you know which muscle to contract, keep this muscle from contracting, count to 10 and then relax for 5 seconds.
How often do:
To start, you must do 10 contractions in a row and then stop. Do at least 3 complete sets, and repeat 2 to 3 times a day. In total, it is advisable to do at least 100 contractions a day, but it is not recommended to do everything at once because the pelvic floor muscles tire very easily.
After approximately 15 days to 1 month: progress can be made making the exercise more difficult and for that, it is enough for each contraction you do, to maintain the same contraction for another 10 seconds. The complete series consists of making at least 20 sustained contractions, in 2 different periods of the day, in the morning and in the late afternoon, for example.
Although it is a simple exercise that can be done at any time and in any place, the most correct thing is to set an hour of the day to dedicate yourself to it, because that makes it easier to complete the series until the end.
This exercise can be performed in a sitting, lying or standing position, but to start it is easier to start while lying down. With practice it is normal to want to make contractions more quickly, but this should not happen, because the ideal is that each contraction is well controlled so that it has the expected effect.
Watch the following video to better understand how to do these exercises:
How to do hypopressive gymnastics
To do hypopressive gymnastics to treat involuntary urine loss, you should:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms along your sides. Then the lungs must be completely emptied, making a forced exhalation until the abdomen starts to contract on its own. position without breathing for 10 to 30 seconds or for as long as you can go without breathing.
During this 'suction' of the belly, the muscles of the perineum must also be contracted, raising all the organs inwards and upwards as much as possible, as if they wanted everyone to be kept behind the ribs.
It is important that these exercises are always performed with an empty bladder to avoid cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder by the accumulation of microorganisms inside. The purpose of these exercises is to restore the muscle tone and strength of the perineum and the entire pelvic floor, preventing the loss of urine, even improving intimate contact.
