When you are young and healthy you never give continence a second thought, but if you do not do anything to make sure that you stay continent as an older adult, you may find yourself facing problems later on. So here is a little continence advise tip that you can easily fit into your daily life now to make sure that you stay healthy.
The key to maintaining your continence health well into your later years is to keep the muscles of your pelvic floor strong and healthy. Most people never give these muscles a single thought until they are just about not working, and at that point there is only so much that you can do. However, if you pay a little attention to them now, you may never, ever have to worry about them.
Think of your pelvic floor muscles kind of like a sling stretched across your pelvis. The sling of muscles has two perforations in it, one for the urethra, and one for the anus. In women, there is a third perforation for the vagina. The purpose of the pelvic floor muscles is to support all of the body’s organs for evacuation and childbirth.
There are basically two different types of muscles that make up the pelvic floor. One set of muscles is strong and designed for endurance, and its job is to support the pelvic contents. The second group of pelvic floor muscles is designed for strength and speed, and it provides additional closing strength for the urethra when needed (i.e. when you laugh, sneeze or cough).
The best way to make sure these muscles stay healthy is simple. Just exercise them regularly. For the endurance muscles squeeze them (just as you would interrupt your urine flow) and hold for five to ten seconds. Then relax for two to three seconds between squeezes. For the second set of muscles squeeze as hard as you can for one second.
To build strength in these muscles do five of the endurance muscle squeezes and ten of the one second squeezes six times per day. You can do them anytime, anywhere. So build a habit of taking a few seconds throughout the day to build your pelvic floor muscles. If your muscles are already strong, you can do this same set for only three times a day to maintain the strength that you already have.
If you have lost some strength in your pelvic floor muscles, this continence advise may help, but it may take up to six months of religiously doing these exercises, which are known as Kegel exercises, to see a marked improvement in function. As you are rebuilding your muscles, incontinence pads can free you from the worry of having accidental leakage in public. They do a great job of protecting clothing and furniture. DryForLife is always available to deliver incontinence pads to you quickly and discreetly.
Further Continence Articles
- Adult Continence: How it Works.
- What Continence Supplies Do You Need?
- What is a Continence Assessment?
- Continence Pads and Products Pivotal in Leading Normal Life
- Maintaining Bowel Continence
Disclaimer - The research, clinical material and advice provided on this website is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical treatment, nor an alternative to medical advice. Any action taken in response to the information given on this website is at the reader's own discretion. Readers should always consult their own Doctor in all health matters. Please read our Terms and conditions. Copyright ©2003-2010 DryForLife®
[...] that cannot be ignored, and the problem is growing geometrically as the population is aging. Continence care nursing is a growing area of nursing specialty that identifies, assesses and manages urinary, [...]