I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have heard conflicting information about doing Kegel exercises during pregnancy and especially after giving birth to strengthen pelvic muscles and to prevent incontinence. Then last week a friend forwarded me a link that was a very interesting and educational interview between Kara, freelance writer and blogger at Mama Sweat and Katy Bowman, who gave her perspective, from her biomechanical scientist viewpoint, of Kegels and pelvic exercises.
The basis of the article was to do exercises that strengthened the whole pelvic area, not just one particular muscle because all of the muscles “down there” are a whole system and need to be treated as such to get the maximum result of strong pelvic muscles.
My research also brought out the fact that Dr. Kegel had good intentions when he created his Kegel exercises, over time though recommendations have changed. It isn’t that Kegels are innately bad, but neither is doing 200/day a good thing for our bodies.
I read and scanned many different articles and was very intrigued and enlighted, so I hope you will be too.
Katy Bowman, MS is a biomechanical scientist focused on educating people on how their body works, so they can make informed and educated decisions. She is the creator and talent behind the Aligned and Wellâ„¢ DVD program, the Director of the Restorative Exercise Institute, and the creator of the Restorative Exerciseâ„¢ DVD kits for Gaiam. Katy is also the spokesperson and Senior Science Advisory member for Earth Footwear and My-Happy Feet Alignment Socks. She is a regular contributor and expert for national health, fitness, and wellness publications and TV segments.
Related Articles:
http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html
http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-encore.html
http://www.katysays.com/2010/05/17/1234-we-like-our-pelvic-floor/
http://www.alignedandwell.com/_product_87098/Down_There_For_Women
http://www.alignedandwell.com/index.html
http://www.katysays.com/2010/03/30/the-hunting-and-gathering-mama/
http://www.katysays.com/2010/06/10/kegel-saga-continuesthe-video/
I found these two in the comment section of Mama Sweat:
Katy Bowman – We need to investigate this study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18651881 a bit more it would appear. Also, short-term kegel studies conclude with the fact that more research is needed before deciding if they are, in fact effective.
Saving the whole woman by CHristine Kent WholeWoman.com – Check out the paper, “Genital prolapse: a legacy of the West?†in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. More importantly are natural and real-time testimonials of women themselves, which were never possible before the great democratizing power of the internet.
