do kegels help or hinder hemorrhoids?

Kegels involve your pelvic floor muscles, not your anal sphincter.

Hi again legace, Know how you feel. My box score is two banded and one zapped by laser.
I think any exercise is a plus if it builds the glutes or perineum (see comment below regarding pelvic floor dysfunction). So, that includes Kegels. If I've got a misbehaving 'roid, I stick with the Aneros models that have smooth, rounded stems. (Maximus, Helix, -syn, Peridise and Eupho) Yesterday my Uro suggested smearing the 'roid with a Hydro-cortisone salve before using a prostate massager. And perhaps, skipping a day of practice. Remember that Peridise was developed to treat hemorrhids. A treatment procedure is on the HIH website. -- http://www.highisland.com/hemorrhoid-massage-treatment/ --
Wikipedia quote:..."The exact cause of symptomatic hemorrhoids is unknown. A number of factors are believed to play a role including: irregular bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea), a lack of exercise, nutritional factor (a low-fiber diet), increased intra-abdominal pressure (prolonged straining, ascitis, an intra-abdominal mass, or pregnancy), genetics, an absence of valves within the hemorrhoidal veins, and aging. Other factors that are believed to increase the risk include obesity, prolonged sitting, a chronic cough and pelvic floor dysfunction. Evidence for these associations, however, is poor.
During pregnancy, pressure from the fetus on the abdomen and hormonal changes cause the hemorrhoidal vessels to enlarge. Delivery also leads to increased intra-abdominal pressures.^[10]Surgical treatment is rarely needed in those who are pregnant, as symptoms usually resolve post delivery.^{[3]" ..... from --} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemorrhoid --
Most of us can rule out pregnancy. Some of us can add subjecting our bods to high 'g-forces' as a cause factor.

Hi legaceThis may or may not be helpful
My haemorrhoids seemed to get worse using the Helix profile and Vice. This was a great disappointment to me. I got a Tempo and that did not help much. The MGX profile was better - then it twigged - the neck was narrower. I found that all the 'below' muscles were all over the place. Whenever I use any aneros and particularly the Helix profile and Vice that stretches the sphincters after they are removed I work on tightening up the sphincters to get them closed tight again - so far this has worked very well and are minimal.

(Isolating and working on the PC and BC muscle groups, strengthening the PC/BC around the anus, then the sphincters both)