Kegel Exercise strengthens Pubococcygeus Muscle hence they are also called Pubococcygeus Muscle Exercises.

Kegel Exercises tones pelvic floor muscles and adds fitness to it, hence also called as Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises.

This is also called as Perineal Muscle Exercises as it tones the perineum, the lowest part between two legs from the bone in front to the bone behind, the area around the vagina, the urethra and anal passage. It is the area that would be visible if you were to look up from beneath after spreading your legs. (Anatomically from the pubic symphysis to the coccyx.)

What is the Kegel exercise?

Alternate contraction and relaxation of the anal sphincter is an effective way of practicing Kegel exercise.

Steps

1. Contract/hold tight the anal muscles with slow counting of 5 breaths.
2. Release/relax the anal sphincter slowly counting till 5 breaths.
3. Repeat the same series up to 10 times twice a day.

Increase the set of 10 to 25 times twice a day, gradually

Ways to do Kegel exercise correctly?

In Kegel exercises, the muscles at the base of the pelvis are contracted.

You can do Kegel exercises while you are sitting, standing, chatting, reading, or lying on the floor. Make sure you are not contracting the abdominal (belly) muscles, the thighs or the buttocks instead.

1. Imagine you have a sudden urge to defecate. And there is no washroom/toilet around. You tightly contract the anal sphincter to control, to stop defecation.
2. Voluntarily stop urine flow midstream while urinating, then resume, then start, then stop, then start. The same muscles, called the Pubococcygeus Muscles (PC Muscles) are alternately contracted and relaxed in this maneuver.

For Females:
When you insert a finger into your vagina or anus and clamp or tighten over it to squeeze the finger the pubococcygeus muscles are being used. Instead of finger doctors may suggest you insert a dilator.

Benefits

1. It helps in Premature Ejaculation to delay ejaculation in men.
2. It is useful in the treatment of vaginismus in women fearing intercourse.
3. It enhances sexual pleasure for both men and women.

Other non-sexual benefits are:

• Urinary Incontinence
• Fecal incontinence
• Vaginal prolapse
• Anal/Rectal prolapse
• In the third stage of labor (childbirth)
• After episiotomy
• Healing of perineal tear
• Prostatitis or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Why call the Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises as Kegel exercises?

American Gynecologist Dr. Arnold Kegel (death 1976) devised the perineometer, a tube inserted in the vagina to know the pelvic muscle tone and teach to increase the strength of the pelvic muscle floor. (first published in 1948)