06/12/2026
Your doctor didn’t tell you this. And it’s hurting you.
Kegels can actually make things worse.
If your pelvic floor muscles are too tight to fully relax, which is called a hypertonic pelvic floor, doing more squeezing is the last thing you need. It increases tension. It increases pain. It makes symptoms worse, not better.
Most women have no idea whether their pelvic floor is too tight or too weak. Because nobody checked. They just handed you a pamphlet and sent you home.
Kegels are a real exercise. They help the right person enormously. But they are not for everyone. And no one told you that.
Watch this. Then send it to a woman who has been doing her Kegels and still not feeling better.
She deserves to know why.
Dr. Riva Preil is a leading NYC Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist helping people answer questions like: Why does it hurt to put in a tampon? Why do I have to p*e all the time? Is pain with s*x normal? How can pelvic floor PT help endometriosis pain or postpartum recovery?
She specializes in pelvic health and pelvic wellness for women and men, treating conditions such as pelvic pain, painful s*x (dyspareunia), vaginismus, vulvodynia, bladder urgency and frequency, interstitial cystitis, constipation, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, prenatal and postpartum conditions, and chronic pelvic pain. She also supports patients navigating endometriosis, IBS, and PCOS recovery, and treats pediatric bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Board Certified in Women’s Health Physical Therapy (WCS), Dr. Riva blends evidence-based care with a holistic approach, including advanced manual therapies including Lymphatic Drainage, Craniosacral Therapy and Visceral Mobilization. She’s also the author of This Inside Story: The Woman’s Guide to Lifelong Pelvic Health.
Known for meeting expert knowledge with humor, Dr. Riva makes uncomfortable topics approachable, understandable —and sometimes even funny—so patients and followers feel informed, validated, and less alone in their pelvic health journey.