Originally published on August 1, 2023 by Vital Physiotherapy & Wellness, now part of the Bravella Health network. Original author: Chana Ross.
I don’t want YOU to make the same mistakes I did at the start of my journey!
I’m Chana Ross, the clinic director at Vital Physiotherapy and Wellness. I became a pelvic physiotherapist because I was once leaking, and pelvic physiotherapy changed my life.
Here are three KEY things I wish I had known:
1️⃣ Kegels aren’t everything.
If you read anything about leaking online, the first thing Dr. Google will tell you is to “do your kegels”. But kegel exercises are not a one-size-fits all solution…in fact they actually may cause more harm than good in many circumstances.[1,2]
When starting out on my leak-free journey, I thought that the only way to stop my leaking was to kegel all day every day. I couldn’t be more wrong. When I finally got support from a pelvic floor physiotherapist, she told me that kegels were not supporting my muscles in the ways that I needed them to, and that I should stop immediately. She didn’t just teach me about what exercise to STOP doing…but I was told what exercises I NEEDED to do…and that’s what made all the difference for me.
There is no purpose in constantly doing an exercise that is not working for you, or is causing you harm. Once you learn the right exercises that support you in your goals, you won’t have to go back to kegels!
2️⃣ Exercise matters, but accountability matters more.
Want to know why all of those new exercises I was given to stop my leaking worked?
Because I KNEW they supported my goals AND because I had major accountability from my pelvic floor physiotherapist.
I was given weekly exercises, homework AND follow ups to ensure that I was working toward my goals of a leak-free life. Looking back, accountability was one of the key things that helped me in stopping my leaking…because I may have just given up and accepted my reality if I had to do this all on my own![3]
3️⃣ You don’t have to do it alone. There are experts who want to help you!
You might think that leaking is embarrassing. You might think that you’ve tried everything and that there is nothing you can do. But if you haven’t gotten support from us at Vital….then you haven’t tried EVERYTHING!
I know it’s hard. Even though leaking is an extremely common symptom for women during so many stages of life, it can still feel embarrassing and lonely to deal with.[4]
That’s why having a community of women who not only understand you, but who are also actively working toward the same goals as you – is SO IMPORTANT!
This is just a small taste of what we cover inside of Vital’s LeakLess Method…
Learn more about Vital’s LeakLess Method here: vitalphysiotherapy.com/leaklessmethod
References
- Frawley H, Shelly B, Morin M, et al. An International Continence Society (ICS) report on the terminology for pelvic floor muscle assessment. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021;40(5):1217-1260. doi:10.1002/nau.24658
- Bump RC, Hurt WG, Fantl JA, Wyman JF. Assessment of Kegel pelvic muscle exercise performance after brief verbal instruction. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991;165(2):322-327. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(91)90085-6
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management. NICE guideline NG123. Published April 2, 2019. Updated June 24, 2019. Accessed September 24, 2026. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng123
- Kolahdooz F, Jang SL, Lawrence S, et al. Prevalence and impact of urinary incontinence in Canada: a systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature and a meta-analysis of quantitative data. AJE Advances: Research in Epidemiology. 2026;2(1):uuag006. doi:10.1093/ajeadv/uuag006
