The findings, published in the journal Military Medicine , showed that doing Kegels was effective at controlling the symptoms of urinary incontinence. And in another study published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association , researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that Kegels were more successful than drugs at preventing incontinence. Fla. Davila explains that incontinence strikes female parachutists because, when the parachute opens, the body stops descending but pelvic organs continue to descend. People who exercise on trampolines and women who run a lot may also become incontinent because they are constantly bouncing on their feet, he says. Do Kegels to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
Athletes can also wear a device in the vagina such as a tampon or pessary.
Available by prescription, pessaries elevate the bladder to help avoid leakage during exercise, he says. Denial is common among younger women who experience incontinence, she says. Women who have just given birth and those entering menopause are also at increased risk of incontinence. Hoffman has her clients do their Kegels during abdominal exercises, but they can also be done while sitting at your desk or driving a car. You should feel a small lifting motion around the rectum and vagina.