Bladder continence is something that everyone takes for granted when you are young and healthy, however we are all just one mishap away from losing our bladder continence. If we are lucky enough to live a long and active life, the odds of having some problem with bladder continence is almost certain. As continence problems arise, they can be addressed with medication, surgery, behavior modification and exercise, and we will discuss the latter.
Let’s talk about achieving urinary continence with exercises. First, we need to look at the anatomical differences in men and women. Men have a broader pelvis with more room to hold a bladder. This is an extremely important fact because when the bladder expands it has to have surroundings conducive to holding a full bladder. Because of this, men are able to hold more urine for longer amounts of time. The opposite is true of women. A female pelvis is shallower, so when the bladder fills there is less space in the floor of the pelvic cavity. This causes it to hold less urine, and it may need to be emptied more frequently.
There is also the physical difference for women and that is an extra organ, the uterus. As women age, the uterus ages also, what was once a fist shaped organ begins to enlarge, most commonly from fibroid tumors. This organ sits almost on top of the bladder and weighs heavy on the bladder. Women who have had pregnancies are more apt to develop problems at a younger age than women who have never been pregnant. During childbirth the bladder is traumatized in many ways, for example the growing uterus gives very little space to a full bladder. As the baby grows in utero, it seems to sit right on top of the bladder causing frequent urination. During vaginal childbirth, the birth canal must stretch to accommodate the baby’s head causing more trauma to the bladder.
Whether your incontinence is simply caused by age, pregnancy, surgery or some other trauma it is a good idea to keep your pelvic floor muscles tuned up. Frequently doing Kegel exercises, which engage the muscles of the pelvic floor, can help retain continence and can even rebuild it. The exercises are named after Dr. Arnold Kegel who developed them in 1948 as a way to re-establish bladder continence for women after childbirth. Since then medical professionals have discovered that these exercises work equally well for men and women when it comes to maintaining continence.
The exercises are very simple and can be done anywhere without anyone knowing you are doing them. It is only the matter of relaxing and contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor. These exercises help to improve urethral, rectal and rectal sphincter function. They are also recommended for men after prostate surgery as they work to regain bladder continence. Kegel exercises must be done correctly and faithfully in order to be effective, so check with your doctor if you have any questions about the proper method of exercise.
Since it takes several months to realize the full benefits of Kegel exercises, you will want to have some good quality incontinence products available in the interim. DryForLife offers a discreet and completely confidential solution to all of your incontinence needs. We have been providing incontinence products for over forty years, and we are here to help.
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