Having an overactive bladder is an embarrassing condition. Bladder control problems can cause issues like interruptions to your daily life and make you miss out on special moments that could be lasting memories.
Overactive bladder can cause symptoms such as incontinence, the urge to urinate, or the inability to stop urinating. If your overactive bladder is disrupting your life, these are the 5 best exercises for women with Bladder Control Issues.
Kegel Exercises
In the past few years, Kegels have gained national attention. In addition to strengthening bladder control, many women find that these exercises increase their pleasure in the bedroom. Kegel’s work to tighten the pelvic floor muscles which control when you start and stop urinating.
In order to do Kegel exercises, you must squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and hold for counts of three seconds. You can isolate these muscles by acting as if you are stopping your urination — this action requires you to tense your pelvic floor. It is recommended that this exercise is performed in sets of 10. These exercises can be performed while sitting at your desk at work or even standing in line at the grocery store!
Bladder Training
This exercise is perfect for people who find themselves running to the bathroom more frequently than they would like. Bladder training is just like it sounds — you teach your bladder to not have to “go” so often. To start, write in a journal how often you need to go to the bathroom. This may seem silly, but it is important to know how frequently you are interrupted.
Once you know your “bladder baseline”, try to wait to go to the bathroom a little bit longer than normal. Many people find this exercise uncomfortable at first. However, when you have overactive bladder, your brain receives signals earlier than necessary. This training will show your bladder that it does not need to be emptied so frequently.
Electrical Stimulation
If Kegels and Bladder Training don’t work, it is time to move on to more serious interventions. Electrical stimulation can be done at home or at your urologists office. The stimulation of the machine cases an involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles. Just like Kegel’s this will lead to a strengthening of the muscle which will reduce symptoms of overactive bladder over time.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a method that tells your physical therapist or urologist if you are tightening the correct muscles. This method will show if there is stimulation where it needs to be when performing Kegels or during Electrical Stimulation. This is very beneficial when a patient has trouble isolating their pelvic floor muscles.
Vaginal Cones
If stimulation alone doesn’t work, vaginal cones are the next step in weight training for the pelvic floor. These weights are lifted by the pelvic floor muscles in order to create more tension. Over time, this tension leads to strength and a better ability to control the bladder.
These exercises have been found to be the 5 best exercises for women with bladder control issues. If you are having trouble with overactive bladder, be sure to speak to your doctor to find the correct treatment method.
Sourced from: Healthline
Photo: Thinkstock/b-d-s
