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Urinary Incontinence
The Effects, Treatment and Causes of Overactive Bladder
By Donna Smith
Dr. Siddiqui agrees that pads can help prevent embarrassing accidents in public, but advises people to get treatment before using pads. "If you're using pads, your incontinence is serious enough that you need to see your doctor," she says. But, according to the NAFC, only one out of 12 affected seek help from their doctors.
Bladder training exercises, also known as kegels, can be helpful. "Bladder training exercises help by increasing the resting tone of the pelvic muscles for improved bladder control," says Dr. Karyn Eilber, director of the Century Institute for Continence at Century City Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles, Calif. "A simple explanation of how to do them is squeezing your pelvic muscles as if you were trying to stop yourself from urinating or passing gas. Alternating contraction and relaxation of the pelvic muscles should be done for three to five seconds each."
The bathroom is the best place to locate these muscles, Dr. Siddiqui says. While sitting on the toilet, try to stop the flow of urine. "Those are the same muscles that you need to exercise," she says.
Dr. Elser says she rarely meets a woman with incontinence who hasn't tried kegels. She suggests asking for help from the doctor during a pelvic exam to locate and see if the pelvic muscles are working properly. She also is in favor or working with a physical therapist for proper pelvic muscle rehabilitation. "As I often point out to my patients, if you injured the nerves or muscles of your shoulder, and you couldn't use your right arm much, you wouldn't settle for being told to go home and learn some shoulder exercises," she says. "You would expect to be sent to physical therapy for a full evaluation and treatment. Your bladder is a pretty important part of your body and deserves proper therapy."
