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Incontinence Help
Reducing Urgency | Overactive Bladder When you feel the urge to empty your bladder
Second: TIGHTEN your pelvic muscles 3 to 5 times. Take a deep breath and as you let it out, allow your body to let go and RELAX. Think of something other than the bathroom. Third: WALK, when the urge has decreased somewhat, to the bathroom at a normal speed. If the urge happens again on the way to the bathroom, STOP and repeat the above steps. Do not be discouraged if you do not see results at first. You are learning a new skill. Try practicing these steps at home until you feel comfortable with your new skill. Bladder Drills and Retraining
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic Floor Exercises with Other Treatments
Adherence is crucial. If patients do not continue these exercises, the problems may reoccur. Extracorporeal Magnetic Enervation (EXMI)
Behavioral Therapy for Urinary Incontinence The Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research of The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended behavioral treatment as first line therapy for urinary incontinence. Earlier, in 1988, the National Institute of Health Consensus Conference on Urinary Incontinence In Adults recognized behavioral treatment for incontinence as an efficacious treatment and recommended that the least invasive or least dangerous procedure be tried first. Advantages of Behavioral Treatments
Review voiding diaries - look for "trigger" behaviors/events General Conservative Treatments
Pelvic Floor Exercise
Vaginal Weights
Electrical Stimulation
Suggestions For Improving Bladder Habits Recommendations
Many people who have bladder control problems reduce the amount of liquids they drink in the hopes that they will need to urinate less often. While less liquid through the mouth does result in less liquid in the form of urine, the smaller amount of urine may be more highly concentrated and thus irritating to the bladder. Highly concentrated, dark yellow, strong urine may cause you to go to the bathroom more frequently. It also encourages the growth of bacteria. When bacteria begin to grow, infection sets in and incontinence may be the result. Do not restrict fluids to control incontinence. Foods and beverages to be avoided
Coffee (even decaffeinated) Tea Soft drinks with caffeine Citrus juice & fruits Tomatoes and tomato-based products Highly spiced foods Chocolate Sugar Beverages to be added
Cranberry, Grape, Apple and Cherry juices Clothing
Avoid nylon underpants and pantyhose Avoid colored or perfumed toilet tissue and sanitary napkins Avoid detergent bath additives or feminine hygiene products Dietary Suggestions For Improving Bowel Habits Recommendations for improving bowel habits
*When adding fiber to your diet, remember that you may feel bloated and have gas in the beginning. It is also important not to restrict fluids when you are adding fiber. Special Recipe
1 cup oat or wheat bran 1/4 cup prune juice Cinnamon for taste (optional) Begin with 2 tablespoons each evening followed by one 6-8 ounce glass of water or juice. After 7 to 10 days, increase this to 3 tablespoons and then at the end of the second to third week, increase to four tablespoons. You should begin to see an improvement in your bowel habits in 2 weeks. When you begin using the Special Recipe, you may notice some increase in gas and you may feel bloated. This should go away in several weeks. This recipe may be stored in your refrigerator or in the freezer. Pre-measured servings may be frozen in sectioned ice cube trays or in the nice foam plastic egg cartons and thawed as needed. Pelvic Muscle Exercises For Women What are the pelvic muscles? Pelvic muscles are the muscles that span the pelvis fiom the pubic bone, in &ont of the body, to the tai1bone, in the back of the body. Pelvic muscles provide support to the urethra, bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum. What are pelvic muscle exercises? Pelvic muscle exercises will help you tighten up and strengthen the muscles that surround the opening of the urethra, vagina and rectum. These exercises work only when the right muscles are used and enough repetitions are done. If you have a problem with incontinence, it may take up to three months for you to see an improvement. They can help prevent leakage with activity (stress incontinence) as well as overactive bladder (urge incontinence, urinary urgency and frequency). How do I find these muscles? Do not identify the pelvic floor muscles by trying to stop and restart the flow of urine. Instead, notice the muscles you use when you voluntarily pull in on your rectal muscles to retain gas. You can also find these muscles by placing a finger in the vagina and squeezing your vaginal muscles around it, while keeping the other hand over the lower abdomen to make sure you don't squeeze the muscles of your abdominal wall. Do not tighten the abdominal, thigh or buttock muscles when tightening the muscles of the pelvic floor. How do you exercise the pelvic muscles? The following is one set of exercises. There are 2 components - a set of short rapid contractions and a set of longer contractions: Start with 10 "quick flicks":
Once you are comfortable with the "quick flicks" start doing the longer contractions as well:
Ultimately should do at least 5 of the quick flicks and 2 to 3 of the longer held contraction sets per day. Make pelvic muscle exercices a habit. To remind yourself to do them, combine the exercises with other activities. For instance, do them whenever you stop at a red light, talk on the phone or perform household chores. Besides regularly doing the exercises one should utilize them at certain times to prevent leakage:
Once you find that pelvic muscle exercises have improved your incontinence or other problems, don't stop doing them. You should look at these exercises as a lifetime commitment to maintaining good muscle tone. These suggestions about the management of incontinence are reproduced here by kind permission of Dr. Howard Goldman, Professor of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic, Glickman Urological Institute, Section of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology Resources For Patients With Urinary Incontinence
Kathryn Burgio The Incontinence Solution: Answers for Women of All Ages William Parker et al. 7 Steps to Normal Bladder Control: Simple Practical Types & Techniques for Staying Dry Elizabeth Vierck National Association for Continence. Phone: 1/800-BLADDER www.nafc.org Dr. Neil Baum is a urologist and can be located at 504.891.8454 or through his website, www.neilbaum.com |
Dr. Neil Baum |
