Pelvic Floor Exercises to Prevent Urinary Incontinence

Overview

Pelvic floor exercises can help prevent urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence can by a symptom of an underlying disorder. It is important to understand why it occurs. Childbirth, aging, hysterectomy, prostate gland enlargement, untreated prostate cancer, and tumors can cause urinary incontinence. Women, especially with aging and following childbirth and surgery, can experience urinary incontinence in response to stress, such as sneezing, coughing and lifting. Pelvic floor exercises for urinary incontinence can be approached in a variety of ways.

Men and Women Can Perform Kegel Exercise

Most people think that Kegel exercises are for women, following childbirth, but men with urinary incontinence can also regain bladder control by practicing this exercise. Engage the help of your physician, or a physical therapist to learn how to perform the exercises properly. Instructional videos and printed materials are available, but may not work without coaching and monitoring.

Kegel Exercise Basics

Squeeze the muscles that control urination. You will feel the correct contraction by practicing. Start by urinating, and stopping the flow. If you are successful, you can perform Kegel exercises properly. Women will feel contraction of the vagina. Men will feel a lifting of the testicles. Alternate contracting and relaxing the muscles for three seconds, and repeat ten times. Increase the duration up to ten seconds, and perform the exercises three times a day.

Biofeedback Exercises

Biofeedback exercises are performed using a device with electrodes that sends signals to identify contraction of the proper muscles used to help prevent urinary incontinence. The exercises are guided by professionals. A tampon type sensor is used inside the vagina or rectum, and an electrode is placed on the abdomen to monitor the quality and intensity of the exercises. Use of the device ensures that the exercises are being performed properly, and provides motivation. Sessions last one hour, and involve treatment for eight weeks, under the supervision of a licensed professional.

Electrical Stimulation of Bladder Control Muscles

Women can benefit from another type of biofeedback that uses electrical stimulation to contract the muscles. A probe is inserted into the vagina. An electrical current stimulates weak pelvic floor muscles that lead to urinary incontinence. Electrical stimulation can be performed at home or in a clinic. Treatment is intermittent. Results are seen in four weeks. After pelvic muscle rehabilitation is completed using electrical stimulation, pelvic floor exercises must be continued at home to keep the muscles strong and prevent return of urinary incontinence. Initial training can be performed in a physician's office. Electrical stimulation devices can be purchased or rented for home use. Treatments can also be delivered in a physician's office, or in a physical therapy clinic. The probe is only used during treatment sessions. Length of time, and number of daily treatments varies according to the severity of urinary incontinence and the underlying problem.

Pelvic Weights

Vaginal weights can be used to regain bladder control for women with stress incontinence. The weights are cone shaped. Inserting the cones into the vagina, then contracting the muscles to prevent them from slipping out is shown to be beneficial, compared to no treatment, according to a Cochrane review. "Cones were better than no active treatment (RR for failure to cure incontinence 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.98). There was little evidence of difference between cones and PFMT [pelvic floor muscle training] (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.11), or electrostimulation (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.13), but the confidence intervals were wide. There was not enough evidence to show that cones plus PFMT was different to either cones alone or PFMT alone. Only three studies used a quality of life measure and no study looked at economic outcomes." The review looked at seventeen small studies involving 1484 women.

Considerations

Explore which combination of treatments and pelvic floor exercises for urinary incontinence work best for you. Combining treatments may be best. Understanding the underlying cause is the first step. Contributors to urinary incontinence include alcohol in excess, loading up on fluids too quickly causing a full bladder, caffeine, drugs such as muscle relaxants and sedatives, diuretics, and combination blood pressure drugs that boost elimination of fluid. Irritants, such as soda, citrus, and spicy foods can also cause sudden uncontrollable urges to urinate that might result in urinary incontinence.