Medical Professionals

Benefits of kegel exercise

The FPTD and UPTD help to  strengthen the muscle tone of the urogenital diaphragm. It provides a practical, less invasive and cost effective option for patients who need a reliable means for reconditioning the pelvic floor. The FPTD and UPTD are the ONLY products in the market that actually force pelvic floor muscles to “lift weight.”

For years gynecologists, urologists, physical therapists and other medical health professionals have prescribed KEGEL exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. But KEGEL exercises take so long to see results (in some cases years) it hardly seems they are working and most often a patient quits before seeing the results he or she desires. Patients can see results more quickly by improving the efficacy of the KEGEL exercises by adding weight resistance to these exercises.

USE OF KEGEL EXERCISES TO TREAT DYSFUNCTION

To achieve the maximum results, a muscle group must be exercised at a level higher than its normal function.  When muscles are exercised without resistance, there is very little increase in their strength.  But if muscles are exercised with some resistance they will develop strength rapidly, even if the contractions are performed only a few times every other day.

Strength improvements are generally governed by the intensity of the overload, the fundamental concept behind progressive resistive training.  Simply put, progressive weight training results in strength increases with the addition of weight.  Failure to incorporate progressive resistive training is the major drawback to using Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor.  Kegel exercises are performed under no load, therefore requiring relatively long exercise sessions several times each day.

Another important exercise principle is specificity.  Specificity refers to adaptations in the metabolic and physiologic systems of muscular tissue depending on the type of overload imposed.  Specific exercises elicit specific adaptations creating specific training effects.  Two very important requisites for an effective exercise program, then, is that it must target the correct muscles and that the targeted muscles are trained in a fashion consistent with their normal functional use.

The overload and specificity principles form the basic foundation for effective treatment through the use of the FPTD and UPTD.

Improve KEGEL Exercises for Women with the FPTD

The Female Pelvic Training Device (FPTD) is designed for women to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles and is the first product to apply the principles of resistive exercise for the pelvic floor muscles of women.

The FPTD is an hourglass-shaped device made from surgical stainless steel.  After insertion into the vagina, it is held in place by contracting the pelvic floor muscles, and the hourglass shape ensures automatic positioning so that the appropriate muscles are targeted.  The weight of the FPTD provides resistance as it is gently lifted with each contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, composed predominately of slow twitch fibers (type I).  Sustained lifts will target these fibers, while quick flicks will target fast twitch fibers (type II) found predominately surrounding the sphincter.

The level of resistance is controlled by the subject’s body angle while exercising.  By leaning backward while sitting, the resistance is reduced.  As the patient’s sitting angle approaches 90 degrees, resistance is increased.  By altering the sitting angle, progressive resistive exercises can be performed.

Unlike strengthening programs that use only traditional Kegel exercises, the FPTD provides an overload to the pelvic floor muscles. When you feel the product move up and inward (as much as 1 ½ inches), you will receive feedback that you are doing the exercises correctly.  One can increase the strength in the muscles by increasing the time of a single sustained contraction and by increasing the number of repetitions.

 

Improve KEGEL Exercises for men with the UPTD

The UPTD is an innovative product for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles for men.  To receive the benefits of weight training, upward movement of the pelvic floor must be resisted by the weight.  The upper end of the UPTD is inserted into the anal canal.  Men can only use UPTD to strengthen pelvic floor muscles with resistive exercises, whereas women may use both UPTD and FPTD.

The UPTD is used in a standing position and the resistance is increased by adding a series of weights to the end of the device.  The progressive resistive program is begun by using the main unit without additional weight.  When a person’s strength allows, weights are added.

Adding weight as strength progresses is the foundation for rapid strength gains and offers a customized program for each user.  Persons are able to train and progress at their own pace and to reach maximal potential in minimal time.