Tag Archives: bladder leakage

Controlling Incontinence with Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 21, 2015 under BladderMatters | Read the First Comment

Originally posted by the Live Confidently team on LiveConfidently.com

If you experience occasional light bladder leakage, it may be due to weakened pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder and provide control over urination. As our bodies mature, our pelvic floor muscles can lose strength, leaving both men and women more susceptible to leaks during everyday activities. Mothers who have experienced multiple births are also at increased risk, regardless of age.

Fortunately, there’s a simple exercise you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and decrease the risk of leaks. We call them pelvic floor exercises, but some people know them as Kegel exercises. Often touted as beneficial for menopausal women, these exercises are just as useful to men and women of all ages. If you haven’t already started doing these pelvic exercises, you can begin as soon as you finish reading this post! Not only are these exercises known to help you control your bladder leakage from getting worse, but they could even prevent stress incontinence from ever happening in the first place.

Let’s Get Started!

To begin your Kegel exercises, sit down and identify your pelvic floor muscles by flexing as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine. Once you’ve found your muscles, contract and hold them for 5-10 seconds, then release. Relax for a few seconds, then repeat the process four or five times in a row. For best results, try to perform at least 30 pelvic floor muscle contractions every day. You should begin to see results after a few months.

The key to success with these exercises is repetition, repetition, repetition. To truly improve your bladder control and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, you should continue practicing even after you’ve seen an improvement. Kegel exercises should be a part of your daily routine, as strong pelvic floor muscles are beneficial to everyone!

Exercises to Avoid

When choosing an exercise plan that best suits your lifestyle, you should try to avoid high-impact sports that put extreme pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. This includes activities like jogging and aerobics. It’s best to choose low-impact exercises such as yoga or Pilates, as these focus on strengthening the core through slow and controlled movements. On top of your low-impact exercise routine, you should always be practicing your pelvic floor exercises, as this is the best way to strengthen the right muscles to improve your bladder control.

Have some tips to add? Head over to our incontinence forum to discuss this topic with people just like you!

Additionally, you can find varying levels of products for incontinence at TotalHomeCareSupplies.com.

Tips for Dealing with Incontinence During the Winter

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on January 13, 2015 under BladderMatters | Be the First to Comment

Originally posted by the Live Confidently team on LiveConfidently.com

With the winter months quickly approaching, many people who experience urge or stress incontinence may notice an uptick in bladder leakage issues. There was never a clear link between incontinence and cold weather until a 2005 study by Whittington Hospital in London found that cold temperatures were a major factor in increased urinary incontinence. The study showed that this could be for two reasons: one, because our bodies don’t sweat out excess moisture during colder months, and two, because cold weather induces bladder muscle overactivity and causes us to feel the urge to go more often.

Whatever the case, there are a few tips you can follow to make sure that you are prepared and ready to take on incontinence when the temperature drops.

Decrease your intake of caffeinated beverages. Coffee and other hot beverages that contain caffeine, like tea and hot chocolate, can stimulate the bladder and also act as a diuretic. It’s best to stick to water or non-caffeinated beverages such as apple cider or peppermint tea.

Use the bathroom before you leave the house. This will ensure that your bladder is empty and will prevent you from having to remove bulky winter layers to use the restroom.

Keep moving and wear a jacket. This will help to keep your body warm and your bladder muscles from tensing up.

Find the right protection. For a true sense of ease, it’s best to find the right incontinence products for your specific needs. If you’re not sure where to start, our Incontinence Product Selector is a helpful tool that can guide you in the right direction.

Do you have any tips to add? Head over to our living with incontinence forum to discuss this topic with people just like you!

Ways People Become Incontinent

Posted by Jeanne Lowry on December 11, 2014 under BladderMatters | Be the First to Comment

Many people assume that incontinence is a natural part of aging (just as many people think that dementia is a natural part of aging). But both are not an automatic response of the body and mind to getting older, though the two afflictions are related to one another.

Temporary incontinence can occur from a matter of issues. Some people who have been able to drink coffee, tea and alcohol without a problem their whole lives can become more sensitive to it as they age, and the effect of that sensitivity can be incontinence. Some medical conditions can create incontinence issues, such as urinary-tract infections (which can not only create incontinence in the elderly, but a host of confusing behavioral problems). To keep urinary-tract infections at bay, those that are susceptible should be sure to stay well-hydrated (though this sounds counter-intuitive to keeping continent, drinking too little water can irritate the bladder and cause incontinence). Constipation can be another reason for temporary incontinence.

Dementia can cause incontinence for a variety of reasons. Those with dementia who still get the “urge” to go can start on their way to the bathroom and get distracted or lost. Some people with later stage Alzheimer’s have damage to the parts of their brain that tells them that they need to go. Additionally, all the steps that it takes to use the restroom: finding it, removing clothing, staying long enough to urinate, can be overwhelming to someone with dementia.

Other reasons for incontinence can be weakened pelvic floor muscles, often caused by pregnancy and childbirth. Some medications can cause incontinence, which can oftentimes be easy to fix by switching types or changing the dosage. Being overweight or having an injury, such as a spinal cord injury, can cause incontinence.

While some of these reasons for incontinence cannot be cured, the incontinence can be managed. Perhaps it’s as easy as using a pull-up at night or having an underpad ready on a favorite chair. The number one reason that the elderly move into nursing homes is because their carer cannot manage their incontinence. But with communication with the caree’s doctor, supplies, and patience, the incontinent individual may be able to stay in place.