Kegel hold also known as Kegel exercises, involves contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, offer numerous benefits for elderly individuals, particularly in terms of improving bladder control, enhancing bowel function, and supporting overall pelvic health.

Practicing Kegel hold helps all, especially those who are aged 40 and over in many ways. Kegel hold also helps new mothers who have given birth recently.

1. Improved bladder control

• Urinary incontinence: As people age, bladder muscles weaken, leading to urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control. Kegel exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder, leading to better control and reduced leakage.
• Prostate health in men: Elderly men, especially those who have had prostate surgery, may experience issues with bladder control. Kegel exercises can improve urinary retention and reduce post-surgical incontinence.
• Signs of bladder performance improvement in adults:
  • Longer time between your restroom visits
  • Not too many accidents
  • Ability to hold the urge.
  • You will feel dry underwear instead of always being wet.
  • Getting good sleep during night

2. Enhanced bowel function: Weak pelvic floor muscles may contribute to fecal incontinence. By strengthening these muscles, Kegel exercises can help improve bowel control, leading to fewer accidents and more predictable bowel movements.

3. Support for prolapsed organs: Pelvic organs prolapse, where organs such as the bladder, uterus, or rectum drop from their normal position due to weakened muscles, is more common in older women. Kegel exercises can help prevent or reduce the severity of prolapse by strengthening the muscles that hold these organs in place.

4. Improved sexual health: Kegel exercises can enhance sexual health in both elderly men and women by increasing muscle tone in the pelvic floor, which may lead to improved sexual function and sensation.

5. Promoting posture and stability: A strong pelvic floor can also improve core stability and posture, reducing the risk of falls in elderly individuals by providing better support for the spine and lower body.

Instructions to Kegel exercise practice: It is essential to identify the muscles that you need to hold before practicing Kegel hold.

1. Find a comfortable position:
   • Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. You can also stand if that is easier for you. In the beginning, lying down might help you feel the pelvic floor muscles better.
   • If you are familiar with Bridge pose or Sethu bandhasana then, you can practice Kegel hold while you are performing the bridge pose.
2. Identify Your pelvic floor muscles:
   • To locate the pelvic floor muscles, imagine you are trying to stop urination midstream. Those are the muscles you will be working on. (Do not regularly stop urination while doing Kegels; this is just to help identify the muscles.)
3. Contract the muscles:
   • Once you have identified the muscles, squeeze and hold them for 3-5 seconds. Try to avoid tightening your thighs, abdomen, or buttocks—focus only on the pelvic muscles.
4. Relax:
   • After holding for a few seconds, fully relax the pelvic muscles for 3-5 seconds before contracting again.
5. Repeat:
   • Aim for 10-15 repetitions per session, 3-4 times a day.

How to visualize Kegel hold during practice?

Watch this video: How To Do A Kegel Exercise – Step By Step Instructions – YouTube

Imagine the pelvic floor muscles as a hammock holding your pelvic organs.

Relaxed state: In this state, the pelvic floor muscles are at rest, supporting the bladder, uterus (in women), and rectum.

Contracting (Kegel): Tighten the muscles that would stop urination. Think of lifting the muscles upward and inward, like pulling the hammock up. This motion strengthens the muscles.

Relaxing: Release the contraction and let the muscles return to their resting position. Repeat this process.

Kegel exercises are discreet and can be done anytime, making them especially beneficial for older adults who want to maintain their independence and quality of life. Do not overdo Kegel hold as it could lead to pain in pelvic muscles. Practicing 2 to 3 times a day will improve the performance of your pelvic muscles.

Image credit: 3 images by Akshay Gupta, https://pixahive.com/photo/dvapada-dhanurasana-bridge-pose-on-elbows-3/