Pelvic Floor Training & Erection Hardness
Kegels and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training, Evidence for Erectile and Ejaculatory Function
Evidence grade 4 of 5, Strong. Read how the Atlas grades evidence.
The written rationale for this grade is still being prepared.
- FDA
- Not applicable (exercise-based therapy)
Reference only. Not medical advice.
What can go wrong
PFMT is low-risk when performed correctly. The main pitfalls are poor technique (recruiting the wrong muscles) and inappropriate use in overactive pelvic-floor disorders, where strengthening can aggravate pain and dysfunction. Men with pelvic pain or hard flaccid features should be assessed before starting strengthening, as relaxation/down-training may be the appropriate approach instead.
This is something to take to a clinician. The Atlas can tell you what is known about pelvic floor training & erection hardness in general. It cannot tell you what is happening in your body, and the difference matters most for exactly the symptoms that bring people to this page.
Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT, commonly called Kegels in men) strengthens the bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus muscles that contribute to the rigidity phase of erection and to ejaculatory control. Randomized evidence supports PFMT as a first-line conservative option for erectile dysfunction in suitable men and for premature ejaculation, and it is established for post-prostatectomy incontinence. It is not a penile-enlargement method. Importantly, in overactive pelvic-floor conditions such as hard flaccid syndrome, strengthening exercises may be counterproductive, and relaxation/down-training is preferred.
Strengthening the bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus has real RCT support for erectile rigidity and ejaculatory control.
What people take it for
What it is taken for. Approval, where it exists, covers only some of these.
- Erectile dysfunction
- PFMT is recommended as a conservative first-line or adjunctive option, especially for men with venous leak-type ED or post-ejaculatory difficulty maintaining rigidity.
- Premature ejaculation
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation can lengthen ejaculatory latency by improving voluntary control of the bulbospongiosus.
- Post-prostatectomy incontinence
- PFMT is a standard component of recovery of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy.
How it works
Voluntary, progressive contraction-and-relaxation exercises of the pelvic floor, ideally taught with biofeedback or by a pelvic floor physiotherapist, increase muscle strength and endurance. Better pelvic-floor function can augment the veno-occlusive rigidity phase of erection and improve voluntary delay of ejaculation. The effect is on the mechanics of rigidity and ejaculatory timing, not on penile size.
The ischiocavernosus and bulbospongiosus muscles overlie the crura and bulb of the penis. Their contraction raises intracavernosal pressure beyond what arterial inflow alone achieves, contributing to the rigid-erection phase, and the bulbospongiosus drives the expulsive phase of ejaculation. Training these muscles aims to improve the rigidity-maintaining and ejaculation-controlling capacity of the pelvic floor.
What people get wrong
Often saidKegels make the penis bigger
ActuallyPFMT improves the firmness and angle of erection and ejaculatory control by strengthening pelvic muscles; it does not change penile dimensions.
Often saidMore squeezing is always better
ActuallyTechnique and the contract-relax balance matter more than maximal effort. In overactive pelvic-floor conditions (such as hard flaccid syndrome), strengthening can worsen symptoms, and relaxation training is preferred.
Often saidKegels work instantly
ActuallyLike any muscle training, benefits accrue over weeks to months of consistent practice, and supervision by a pelvic floor physiotherapist improves results.
Who profits, and who pushes back
Nobody is named here yet, because we have not done that work on this entry. Read that as unfinished. Somebody almost certainly sells this, and somebody almost certainly disputes it. Assume both until we have checked.
At a glance
- Muscles trained
- Bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus
- Supported indications
- Erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, incontinence
- Best taught with
- Biofeedback / pelvic floor physiotherapy
- Does NOT
- Enlarge the penis
- Caution
- May worsen overactive-pelvic-floor conditions (e.g., hard flaccid)
What this entry does not yet cover
What follows is unfinished work on our side, not a finding about Pelvic Floor Training & Erection Hardness. A short entry is not a safe entry.
- Timeline. We have not built the dated record of research and regulatory events.
- Cost and market. We have not documented what it sells for or who sells it.
- Supply chain. We have not mapped where it is made.
- Who uses it. We have not documented the user groups.
- What could change. No forward-looking summary yet.
- How it compares. We have not set it against the alternatives.
- Children and teenagers. We have not checked what is known about younger people.
- Where we land. We have not taken a position on this yet.
Sources
The studies below are named and described, but not linked. You cannot open them from here and check our reading against them, which means this page is our summary of the literature rather than a document you can verify. Weigh it accordingly until the links exist.
The studies that matter
Dorey et al., randomized controlled trial of pelvic floor exercises for erectile dysfunction (BJU International / British Journal of General Practice)2004-2005
Men randomized to pelvic floor muscle exercises (with biofeedback and lifestyle advice) showed significant improvement in erectile function versus lifestyle advice alone, with a substantial proportion regaining normal or improved function.
Pastore et al. and subsequent trials of pelvic floor rehabilitation for premature ejaculation2010s
Pelvic floor muscle training significantly increased intravaginal ejaculatory latency time in men with lifelong premature ejaculation.