title: Assessment of Kegel pelvic muscle exercise performance after brief verbal instruction.
abstract: Forty-seven women had urethral pressure profile determinations performed at rest and during a Kegel pelvic muscle contraction, after brief standardized verbal instruction. Twenty-three (49%) had an ideal Kegel effort--a significant increase in the force of urethral closure without an appreciable Valsalva effort. Twelve subjects (25%) displayed a Kegel technique that could potentially promote incontinence. Age, parity, weight, estrogen deprivation, prior continence surgery or hysterectomy, and passive urethral function did not predict a successful effort. We concluded that simple verbal or written instruction does not represent adequate preparation for a patient who is about to start a Kegel exercise program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bump
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Hurt
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fantl
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wyman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000517:prevention & control; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology; D014706:Verbal Learning