In short, no.
Whilst kegels can be extremely beneficial for many women (and men!) - there are some people who will find that doing kegels may exacerbate their pelvic health symptoms.
Why aren’t kegel exercises were good for everyone?
For the pelvic floor to function at its best, which means working in it’s various roles, which include:
- closure of the urethra and anus (think stopping the passage of urine and faeces, or wind)
- supporting the bladder, bladder neck, and pelvic organs
- coordinated pelvic floor contraction to achieve orgasm
For the above functions, the pelvic floor needs to come on at the right time, for the right amount of force or effort, and then “turn off” once they are not longer needed for that task. If the pelvic floor muscles are “always on” - then they will actually not be able to produce the force that they need - like when you cough or sneeze, or jump for example - if they pelvic floor is already on, then it may not have much more force to be able to give to combat the increase in pressure that happens with the activity or cough.
For some women who have pelvic pain, especially upon penetration, they may also have too much “tone” or muscle activity in the pelvic floor. So doing more “kegels” won’t necessarily help - in fact it may exacerbate the problem. This is similar to the individual who struggles to achieve orgasm - with high tone pelvic floor you may not be able to achieve the coordinated contraction + relaxation that is part of the orgasm experience.
Too much tone in your pelvic floor or uncoordinated contraction and relaxation may also make it difficult to urinate or defecate, and these symptoms require urgent attention from your healthcare provider.
So what is the answer?
- Solution: Ideally, where possible, seek the help of a trained women’s health professional. If this isn’t a service available locally, many clinics offer online consultations which take away the location barrier, and may be helpful if you are worried about an in-person consult. They may recommend specific exercises or equipment that will help with reducing pelvic floor tone.
- Pelvic floor down-training exercises are something you can do immediately and easily at home and may have a significant impact on your symptoms. You can start by doing a “reverse kegel” - taking an inhale and relaxing your pelvic floor, and then continuing to relax your pelvic floor on the exhale breath.
- Stretches such as supine butterfly (laying on your back, with the soles of your feet together, knees wide apart) with or without pillows under your outer knees - and practicing deep belly breathing, whist visualising the pelvic floor opening like a flower, or melting like butter are a great start.
- Other positions that may help include Childs’ pose, and glute stretches such as pigeon stretch or figure 4 stretches can help with reducing pelvic floor tone.
Stress and other lifestyle factors - including trauma - can also lead to pelvic pain and other symptoms. Seeing a trauma-informed pelvic health professional can help towards understanding and managing or alleviating your pain.