Think Kegels Are the Answer? Here's What Most Women Aren't Told
You've probably heard it before.
Leak when you sneeze? Do Kegels.
Just had a baby? Do Kegels.
Feeling pelvic pressure? Do Kegels.
For years, women have been told that Kegels are the solution to almost every pelvic floor problem. In fact, many women leave their six-week postpartum appointment with one piece of advice: "Just do your Kegels."
But here's the truth:
Kegels are not a one-size-fits-all solution.
In many cases, they aren't the answer at all. And for some women, they can actually make symptoms worse.
First, What Is a Kegel?
A Kegel is a voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. These are the group of muscles that support your bladder, bowel, uterus, and core.
When performed correctly and prescribed for the right person, Kegels can absolutely help improve strength, support, and bladder control.
The problem isn't the exercise itself.
The problem is that most women are told to do them without ever knowing if they actually need them.
The Problem Might Not Be Weakness
One of the biggest misconceptions about the pelvic floor is that leaking, heaviness, or pain automatically means your muscles are weak.
Not necessarily.
At Revitalize, one of the most common things we find during pelvic floor evaluations is something completely different:
The pelvic floor is overworked, not underworked.
Think about holding your bicep flexed all day long.
Eventually it becomes tired, stiff, painful, and actually weaker because it never gets the chance to fully relax.
Your pelvic floor works the same way.
Muscles that stay tight all day often struggle to generate real strength when they're needed. They can't lengthen well, coordinate with your breathing, or respond quickly when you cough, laugh, run, or lift your child.
Adding more contractions to an already tight muscle is like asking someone with clenched shoulders to do more shoulder shrugs.
It's usually not the answer.
In Fact, Kegels Can Make Symptoms Worse
If your pelvic floor is already too tight, repeatedly doing Kegels may contribute to symptoms like:
Tailbone pain
Constipation
Difficulty emptying your bladder
Persistent leaking despite doing "all the right exercises"
A feeling of tension or heaviness
This surprises many women because they've been working so hard trying to fix the problem.
The reality is they may have been strengthening the wrong thing.
Most Women Aren't Even Doing Them Correctly
Research has shown that more than half of women cannot perform a Kegel correctly without instruction.
Some women bear down instead of lifting.
Others squeeze their glutes, inner thighs, or abdominals.
Some hold their breath.
Others never fully relax between repetitions.
Even if Kegels are appropriate for you, technique matters. Just like any other exercise, quality is far more important than simply doing more repetitions.
The Pelvic Floor Is Part of a Bigger System
Here's something we talk about with our patients every day:
The pelvic floor doesn't work alone.
It works alongside your diaphragm, deep core muscles, hips, glutes, posture, breathing patterns, nervous system, and even your bowel and bladder habits.
That's why simply prescribing Kegels without looking at the whole body often falls short.
At Revitalize, we don't just ask, "How strong is your pelvic floor?"
We ask:
Does it relax?
Does it coordinate with your breathing?
Is it strong enough?
Is it working too much?
Are your hips and core supporting it well?
Is your nervous system keeping these muscles in a constant state of tension?
These answers matter because they determine the treatment—not assumptions.
So... Should You Do Kegels?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
The truth is, the right answer depends on your body.
Some women genuinely need strengthening.
Others need to learn how to relax and lengthen their pelvic floor before strengthening ever begins.
Many need a combination of mobility, breathing, coordination, strength, and whole-body movement.
That's why a personalized evaluation is so important.
You Deserve More Than Generic Advice
If you've been faithfully doing Kegels but you're still leaking, feeling pressure, dealing with pelvic pain, or wondering why nothing seems to be working, it doesn't mean you've failed.
It probably means your body deserves a closer look.
Your symptoms are telling a story.
Our job is to figure out why they're happening so you can finally get the right treatment instead of guessing.
Ready to stop guessing? Whether you're leaking when you laugh, feeling pelvic pressure, experiencing pain with intimacy, or simply wondering if you're doing Kegels correctly, our pelvic floor specialists can help uncover what's really going on, connect the dots between your symptoms, and give you a clear path moving forward.
Schedule your pelvic floor evaluation today and experience a whole-body approach to women's health!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sometimes—but not always. While Kegels can help if your pelvic floor muscles are weak, they're not the right solution for everyone. Many women experiencing urinary leakage actually have pelvic floor muscles that are too tight or not coordinating properly. That's why it's important to identify the root cause before starting any exercise program.
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Yes. If your pelvic floor muscles are already tight or overactive, repeatedly doing Kegels can increase tension and potentially worsen symptoms like pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, urinary urgency, constipation, or even persistent leaking. The right treatment depends on how your pelvic floor is functioning—not just your symptoms.
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Unfortunately, you can't tell based on symptoms alone. Leaking, pelvic pressure, or even prolapse can occur with both weak and overactive pelvic floor muscles. A pelvic floor physical therapist can perform a comprehensive assessment to determine whether your muscles need strengthening, relaxation, coordination training, or a combination of all three.
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Your first visit is focused on understanding the whole picture—not just your symptoms. Your physical therapist will discuss your medical history, pregnancy or birth history (if applicable), bladder and bowel function, pain, daily activities, posture, breathing, core strength, and movement patterns. If you're comfortable, an internal pelvic floor assessment may also be performed to evaluate muscle strength, coordination, tension, and function. From there, your therapist will create a personalized treatment plan based on your body's unique needs—not a one-size-fits-all approach.
