How To Strengthen Your Bladder

Solutions For A Leaky Bladder

Research has found that at least half of people with urinary incontinence dont discuss the condition with a health care provider. But theres no need to feel embarrassed. If you have a leaky bladder, youre definitely not alone. Bladder leakage, or urinary incontinence, affects women and men of all ages, though it becomes more common later in life.

And its definitely worth discussing, because of the many ways it can interfere with enjoying daily lifefrom exercise and travel to social outings and romance, says E. James Wright, M.D., director of urology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Take Home The Advice:

So, above we talked about some of the ways to strengthen weak bladder. If you are suffering from a similar condition, you can try experimenting on any of the above mentioned treatment ways and look what suits best for you. However, it is always a strict advice to consult your doctor before adopting any treatment for your condition.

Let your doctor examine your condition and treat it expertly.

Choosing An Incontinence Product

Choosing an incontinence product depends on the severity of your incontinence and your mobility. If you only have the occasional light leak, a low absorbency light product is ideal. Typically, small incontinence pads are the most ideal for light incontinence. For more moderate leaks, a larger pad or pant product is recommended. For heavy to severe incontinence, an all in one pad is ideal. However, it is very rare that people have heavy incontinence after Prostate Surgery.

If you have low mobility or are immobile, a pad is your better option. Pants are harder to put on and take off than simple pads, as they require a full product change.

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What Causes Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder can be caused by several things, or even a combination of causes. Some possible causes can include:

• Weak pelvic muscles: Pregnancy and childbirth can cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This can cause the bladder to sag out of its normal position. All of these factors can cause leakage.
• Nerve damage: Sometimes signals are sent to the brain and bladder to empty at the wrong time. Trauma and diseases can cause this to happen. These can include:
• Pelvic or back surgery.
• Stroke.

Often, there may be no specific explanation for why this is occurring.

A Few Simple Rules To Remember

Now that you know how to do exercises:

• Do them properly. Check often to be sure that you are using the correct muscles
• Do them regularly in sets of five to 10 contractions at a time in the morning, at noon, in late afternoon and before going to bed. After three or four weeks, increase the number of contractions in each set and hold each one longer, up to the count of 10. When you can comfortably hold the contractions for 10 seconds, you might consider gradually increasing the length up to 20 seconds
• Do them intelligently. Learn to use the muscles when you need them the most, especially during times of stress, excitement, or when you feel you need better bladder control. Keep on doing them. Muscles work best when they are exercised. Once you have learned how to improve your bladder control, continue to do the exercises to keep the pelvic hammock in good shape
• Watch your weight. Keeping yourself fit also means staying at your best weight
• Drink plenty of fluids, six to eight glasses of water every day. And dont fall back into the habit of going to the toilet just in case. Go only when you feel the need to pass urine
• Do not stop doing Kegel exercises until you have talked to your caregiver. Kegel exercises may be useful for the rest of your life
• Tighten your pelvic muscles before sneezing, coughing or lifting to prevent urine leakage

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Your Bladder Control Programme

There are many things you can do in your everyday life to improve your bladder control, and reduce light bladder leakage, most of them are quick and easy and can be integrated into your day with no problems. Follow a schedule for going to the toilet as directed by your doctor. The overall aim is to gradually increase the time between visits by holding out a little longer each time.

• Reduce or cut out caffeine , very sweet drinks and alcohol
• Avoid constipation by eating plenty of fibre from fruit, vegies and whole grains. Dont use laxatives!
• Drink the recommended amount of water per day
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Do pelvic floor exercises. A strong and fit pelvic floor boosts your chances of beating incontinence

Getting control begins with you keeping a bladder diary to get baseline information about your bladder function and habits. When youve kept your diary for a week, take it to your doctor or physiotherapist to discuss your bladder training program.

Some tricks and tips for hanging on

Reclining Bound Angle Pose

• Remain on the floor, but remove your yoga block, while keeping your knees bent.
• Inhale and slowly spread your knees, dropping them to the floor on the sides.
• Exhale while slowly bringing your knees together and lifting your pelvis off the floor.
• Contract your pelvic muscles.
• Release them and return to the floor.

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Hip Flexor Stretch: 3 X 15 Sec Holds

You might feel sore and tight around your hips and abdominals after surgery from having many incision sites around the area. This stretch hits the area and works to combat the issues associated with spending more time sitting down during recovery. However it is important to remember to completegently as there is potential to aggravate your surgical sites.

What Is Bladder Training

Bladder training is a way of learning to manage urinary incontinence. It helps you change your urination habits. Its generally used for stress incontinence or urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is when urine leaks because of sudden pressure on your lower stomach muscles. This could be when you cough, laugh, lift something, or exercise. Urge incontinence is when the need to urinate comes on so fast that you cant get to a toilet in time. Bladder training can also be used for a combination of the 2 types .

Bladder training can help by:

• Lengthening the amount of time between bathroom trips.
• Increasing the amount of urine your bladder can hold.
• Improving your control over the urge to urinate.

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What Can You Do To Manage Oab

If you have OAB, you may feel the need to go to a bathroom a lot. According to the National Association for Continence, a quarter of adult women experience urinary incontinence. This means that you involuntarily leak urine when you send the urge to go. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to manage OAB and lower your risk of accidents.

The first line of treatments for OAB are non-medical. This includes:

Kegel exercises: Also known as pelvic floor muscle exercises, kegels help you stop your bladders involuntary contractions. It may take six to eight weeks before you notice an effect.

Bladder retraining: This may help with gradually building up the amount of time you can wait to go to the bathroom when you need to urinate. It can also help lower your risk for incontinence.

Double voiding: Wait a few minutes after urinating and go again to make sure that your bladder is completely empty.

Absorbent pads: Wearing liners may help with incontinence so that you dont have to interrupt activities.

Maintaining a healthy weight: Extra weight puts pressure on the bladder, so weight loss can help ease symptoms.

Avoid Excess Caffeine Intake

The effects of caffeine on the bladder are twofold. Caffeine irritates the muscles of the bladder, which can cause muscle spasms that increase the frequency and urgency of urination. Caffeine is also a mild diuretic, which means that it increases the amount of water released in urine.

It may be worth avoiding beverages that are high in caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks, or green teas. Instead, opt for beverages that are decaffeinated or contain no caffeine, such as water or herbal teas.

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Setbacks To Regaining Bladder Control

Dont be discouraged if you get setbacks day to day, or even if you have to start over. Think positively and keep trying. It does get easier with practice. Keep in mind that sometimes people doing bladder training find that things get worse before they get better, especially if there are setbacks due to:

• Being tired or run down
• Illness, including colds and flu
• Urinary tract infection

Poise has a range of products that can help while you are trying to improve your bladder control. While you are working on improving the capacity and strength of your bladder, there may be setbacks. To ensure the least amount of fuss, use Poise products to prevent any embarrassing leaks.

Remember to seek medical advice from a doctor if you have any concerns about the symptoms or other issues related to bladder control.

This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek advice from a qualified health care professional with any questions regarding your concerns.

Previous Article

Can You Strengthen A Weak Bladder To Reduce Male Urinary Incontinence

Do you worry about sneezing too hard? Do you worry about taking long road trips? Or do you always look for the nearest bathroom whenever youre out? This means you are suffering from male urinary incontinence. There are a number of things that can affect the bladder, including poor prostate health and growing age. As we grow older, the muscles in our bladder tend to weaken, diminishing their ability to hold on to the urine effectively. It is estimated that 11 to 34 percent of American men aged 65 and above experience urinary incontinence. The good news is that there are proven ways you can strengthen a weak bladder and make your life easier.

Here are a few simple tips for improving your bladder health so it doesnt rule your life anymore.

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Perform Pelvic Floor Exercises Regularly

Pelvic floor muscle training in the form of Kegel exercises is known to strengthen the muscles supporting the urinary bladder.

Kegel exercises are particularly popular among women as these exercises also help the uterus and the rest of the organs in the pelvic region. Nonetheless, men can also greatly benefit from this training, especially managing or preventing urine leakage.

When you do Kegel exercises regularly, you increase your bladder control. In this sense, you can prevent urinary incontinence. This condition is characterized by the sudden urge to pee or leaking a few drops of urine whenever you sneeze, cough, or laugh.

Moreover, you can also control fecal incontinence or stool leakage.

Will Replacing Estrogen Help

Even though decreased estrogen levels affect your bladder and urethra, estrogen therapy may not be an effective treatment. According to the Mayo Clinic, there isnt sufficient scientific evidence to support the use of estrogen creams or patches to treat OAB. Hormone therapy isnt FDA approved for the treatment of OAB or incontinence, and is considered an off-label use for these conditions.

Still, some women say that topical estrogen treatments help control their urinary leaking and the urge to go. These treatments may improve the flow of blood and strengthen the tissue around your urethra. Talk to your doctor if youre interested in hormone replacement therapy.

Off-label drug use means that a drug thats been approved by the FDA for one purpose is used for a different purpose that has not been approved. However, a doctor can still use the drug for that purpose. This is because the FDA regulates the testing and approval of drugs, but not how doctors use drugs to treat their patients. So, your doctor can prescribe a drug however they think is best for your care.

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The Best At Home Incontinence Exercises

Dont let stress or urge incontinence rule your bladder when there are tons of incontinence exercises that you can do to retrain your bladder, strengthen your pelvic floor and enhance your ability to stop leaks. Best of all, you dont have to join a gym. Incontinence exercises for both men and women can be performed in the comfort of your own home.

Stress Incontinence: Stress incontinence occurs when a physical movement or activity such as laughing, lifting something heavy, coughing, or sneezing that causes pressure on the bladder leading to bladder leakage. Stress incontinence symptoms are more common in women, especially after childbirth.Urge Incontinence: Urge incontinence is characterized by the sudden urge to urinate followed by sudden bladder contractions leading to leaks. This may cause the bladder to fully void. Once the urge suddenly strikes many patients are unable to make it to the toilet in time.However, by doing exercises that target the pelvic floor you can strengthen your ability to hold urine until you make it to the restroom. The pelvic floor muscles support the urinary tract organs such as the bladder, uterus, small intestine, and bowel and assist with urinary control, continence, and sexual function.

Keep A Bladder Diary And Note What Youre Eating

Keeping a bladder diary can do two things for you – it helps you to visually see how big of a problem your leaks are, and over time, may even help you pinpoint what triggers those leaks. Track what you eat and drink each day and track what you were doing when you had each leak, how big the leak was, etc. You may find out that you always leak during a daily run, or when youre laughing on the phone with your sister . Once you have several days worth of data, take a look at it and see if you notice any patterns. Then, make an appointment to talk to your doctor and take your diary with you – its a great tool to help him or her diagnose the type of incontinence you may have, and then figure out a treatment plan for it.

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What Kinds Of Surgeries Treat Urinary Incontinence After Your Prostate Is Removed

There are two types of surgery for urinary incontinence: the urethral sling and the artificial urinary sphincter. Usually, the incontinence needs to last for about one year after the prostatectomy to be sure there is not going to be further improvement before your healthcare provider suggests this type of therapy.

Weak Bladder: A Short Note

A weak bladder is a condition where we need to quickly rush to the restroom frequently or that we leak while we require to go to restroom. Over active bladder is the medical term for a weak bladder.

Our bladder is just a bag that is made of muscles and when the bag fills with urine, its lining stretches. Then, nerves send messages to the brain that tell that you require going to the loo. This bladder lining is too sensitive and it can get irritated quite easily or can become overactive very easily. Generally, caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks, and fruit juices can result in a weak bladder.

In order to strengthen weak bladder, we need to make the lining of the bladder become less sensitive or it requires being less active.

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Can Overactive Bladder Be Controlled

Overactive bladder therapy can be challenging to manage. However, many people are very satisfied with the treatment they receive and they often see a dramatic improvement in their quality of life. Your doctor will guide you to the best steps to begin with and give you options for any additional treatments you may need over time.

What Are Pelvic Muscles

Pelvic muscles are located at the base of your core. They stretch like a trampoline or hammock from the pubic bone back to the tailbone. Pelvic muscles support the bladder, bowel and uterus. When these muscles contract, the organs are lifted and tightened, preventing accidental urination, bowel movements, and gas. When these muscles relax, you are able to urinate and have a bowel movement. These muscles also play a role in sexual pleasure and the birthing process.

For many, weak pelvic muscles can cause bladder control problems and leakage when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or strain. Weakening of pelvic muscles result from pregnancy, childbirth, aging, hormones associated with menopause, and straining these muscles due to constipation, chronic cough, or being overweight.

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