How long should I focus on the relaxation of the pelvic floor, before introducing strengthening exercises/kegels?

By: Dr. Brianne Grogan, PT, DPT

It's great that you're aware of the importance of establishing a baseline of relaxation FIRST, especially if you have excessive tension in your pelvic floor. A suggested progression is laid out for you in the Overcome Pelvic Pain program. The program begins with a full month of relaxation of the core/pelvic floor. Month Two progresses to gentle strengthening of the surrounding core muscles, and Month Three moves into isolation of the pelvic floor and integrating pelvic floor activation into functional total-body exercises. However, it's SO individual. In the Overcome program, we make it clear that everyone must go on on their own timeline!

You should be experiencing symptom relief before moving forward into gentle strengthening. If you move into a phase of gentle strengthening and you find that it causes you to backslide, then you'll need to modify/adjust based on your needs. Take it slower (i.e. do the strengthening workouts every-other-day instead of every day, pause the video to relax and do a pelvic drop between moves, or take extra time to relax after each exercise session). If you have questions while going through Overcome, you can ask those in the Online Community to get support from your Vibrant Coaches.