Have You Been Told to “Just Do Kegels” or Think You Need to Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles?

Updated 10/4/2025 What's the Story About Old Kegel Exercises?  Do you know that “Vintage” Kegels can actually make many pelvic and bladder symptoms worse? These exercises usually train to isolate the pelvic floor muscles and squeeze hard and repeat 90-300 repetitions per day. These strong contractions are often performed when the rest of the body is supposed to be quiet. We have also traditionally been taught to start and stop urine flow as an exercise. Although this may be helpful to feel where to activate, this is not good to perform as an exercise. Pelvic floor rehabilitation is very different than “doing Kegels and squeezing as hard as you can and holding…” This old approach has roots in the 1940-50’s and by the time it was revived, many other...