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Pelvic Strengthening |
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Stay
active at any age with
Incontinence If your pelvic floor is healthy, you should have good urinary control by sensing fullness and being able to comfortably make it to the bathroom without rushing or leaking. You should also be able to hold urine while running, sneezing or exercising. If you leak urine under any circumstances, you should see a doctor to rule out infection, neurological disease or pelvic abnormality. If you have none of these, your healthcare provider can help you find a solution to bladder leakage through many means including surgery, medication or, the most common — pelvic muscle strengthening (Kegel exercises). Bowel Problems Embarrassing, but true — when pelvic floor muscles are weak, loss of gas and bowel control becomes more common. You may find this problem difficult to talk about, even with your healthcare provider, but know that they can help by prescribing exercises to improve muscle strength or by referring you to a Physical Therapy specialist who can give you real solutions to this nightmare. Lincoln Physical Therapy offers such a program right here in Davenport. Pelvic Organ Prolapse When the pelvic muscles are so weak they can no longer support the uterus, it is possible that the uterus will “prolapse” or fall out of the vagina. Though doctors don’t see this as a medical emergency, it is embarrassing, uncomfortable and abnormal. If you are feeling vaginal heaviness or have tissue protruding from the vagina, contact your healthcare provider. There are ways to handle this problem through surgery or use of a device called a pessary. Decreased Sexual Satisfaction and Function It makes sense. If pelvic muscles are weak, sexual satisfaction will likely be lessened. To make sure you and your partner are enjoying the optimum sexual experience, pelvic muscles need to be strong and healthy. This can be achieved through exercises (Kegels). What are Kegels? These exercises are preformed by contracting and releasing your pelvic floor muscles. At the bottom of the pelvis, there are several layers of muscle that stretch between your legs. They attach to the front, back and sides of the pelvic bones. Two of the muscles do most of the work to keep you from leaking urine. One stretches like a hammock and the other is triangular shaped. To exercise these muscles, squeeze them internally as if you’re trying to keep from urinating. Hold this squeeze for 10 seconds then rest for ten seconds. Do as many sets of 10 contractions a day as you like or talk to your provider — they may have a more specific plan for you to follow. As for Kegels, you can do them anywhere, any time. While you watch TV, do the dishes or ride in a car. Just like any exercise, you must continue to do them to keep your muscles strong. It will likely take six to eight weeks to notice a change in bladder control, but keep with it. If you do not see a change, contact your healthcare provider. How do I know I’m squeezing the right muscles? If you’re not seeing improvement, you may be contracting the wrong muscles. The Pelvic Floor is very complex and your healthcare provider can help you to isolate the correct muscles for optimum results. Specialists, such as Lincoln Physical Therapy director Mary Jo Jeffrey, may also be brought in to help you identify the correct muscles and build an exercise program to take back your life and normal activities. Talk to your provider for a referral.
To find out more about Lincoln Physical Therapy’s Other sources of information To see diagrams of the pelvic muscles or to find out more about Pelvic Floor Strengthening, log on to www.familydoctor.org and type “urinary incontinence” into the search, or check out www.womenshealthexperience.com.
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