Most people have heard of kegel exercises, but did you know there's a lesser-known counterpart called the reverse Kegel? As its name suggests, reverse Kegels work in the opposite way regular Kegels do, targeting different muscles in the pelvic floor to provide diverse benefits. If you're curious to learn more about this underrated exercise, read on to discover its advantages, the proper way to perform it, and how to incorporate it into your pelvic floor exercise routine.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretch across the base of your pelvis. They support your pelvic organs – including the bladder, uterus, and rectum – and help maintain continence and sexual function. Just like any other muscles in your body, the pelvic floor muscles should be exercised to maintain strength, flexibility, and overall health.
What Are kegel exercises?
kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor exercises, are designed to strengthen the muscles that control urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity. These exercises involve contracting your pelvic floor muscles as if trying to stop the flow of urine or holding in gas. Regular performance of kegel exercises can help to prevent or improve conditions such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and sexual dysfunction.
What Is a Reverse Kegel?
A reverse Kegel, as opposed to the standard Kegel, involves the relaxation and lengthening of the pelvic floor muscles. Instead of tightening your muscles as if holding in urine or gas, you gently push down and outward, making the muscles expand and release. This helps to improve flexibility, balance, and relaxation in the pelvic floor muscles, making them more efficient and reducing the potential for dysfunction or discomfort.
Benefits of Reverse Kegels
- Balances muscle tone: Repeated kegel exercises can lead to overly tight pelvic floor muscles, causing pain and discomfort. Reverse Kegels help ensure a balance between contraction and relaxation, maintaining healthy and functional muscle tone.
- Prevents or treats pelvic pain: Overactive or tight pelvic floor muscles can cause pelvic pain and tension, leading to a variety of conditions such as vulvodynia or prostatodynia. Reverse Kegels can aid in the treatment and prevention of such issues by promoting relaxation and flexibility in the muscles.
- Improves sexual function: Both men and women can experience improved sexual function through reverse Kegels. For men, it can help with erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and difficulty achieving orgasm. For women, it can enhance sexual sensation and orgasmic potential.
- Enhances bowel control: By targeting the muscles responsible for bowel movements, reverse Kegels can help improve issues with constipation or difficulty emptying the bowels completely.
How to Perform a Reverse Kegel
- Find a comfortable position – either lying down, seated, or standing.
- Take a deep breath and relax your entire body, especially your pelvic area.
- Gently push down as if trying to pass gas or begin urinating – you should feel your pelvic floor muscles expand and relax.
- Hold this relaxed position for a few seconds before releasing, and repeat as necessary.
Creating a Routine Including Both Kegel and Reverse kegel exercises
A comprehensive pelvic floor exercise routine should include a mix of both kegel exercises and reverse Kegels. Aim to perform each exercise for about ten repetitions, with an equal number of rest periods in between. You can do these exercises daily, or as recommended by a healthcare professional or pelvic floor therapist.
What Is A Reverse Kegel Example:
Jane, a 35-year-old woman, has been experiencing mild urinary incontinence and occasional pelvic pain. She learns about reverse Kegels and decides to incorporate them into her existing Kegel exercise routine. After a few weeks of consistent practice, Jane notices an improvement in her symptoms and feels more balanced in her pelvic floor muscle tone.
In conclusion, reverse Kegels are an essential and often overlooked component of a complete pelvic floor exercise routine. They help maintain balanced muscle tone, prevent and treat various pelvic health issues, and optimize sexual and bowel functions. We hope this article sheds light on the importance of reverse Kegels and encourages you to make them a part of your pelvic floor therapy journey. Feel free to share this information with others and explore more guides on Pelvic Floor Therapy for further guidance.
