Exercises to Help Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence affects 25 million people, approximately 75% of those people are women.

Urinary incontinence is a term used to describe an unintentional passage of urine. The types of incontinence range from stress incontinence to overactive bladder and nighttime urination.

Research has determined there is a way of addressing incontinence that results from weak pelvic floor muscles, without the risks associated with medications. If these muscles become too weak, they allow urine to leak when you cough, sneeze, lift a heavy object or during exercise.

Factors that increase the chances of suffering form incontinence later in life include:

1. Pregnancy and childbirth

2. High-impact exercises, as chronic shock to the pelvic floor may increase your risk of incontinence

3. Smoking

4. Hysterectomy may double your risk12

The prevalence of urinary incontinence peaks during menopause and steadily rises thereafter, as women may lose more muscle tone while their hormone levels are slowly declining.

Kegel exercises are traditionally recommended to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. And, while they are powerful and effective, they are not the only exercises that will help improve your muscle strength and reduce tightness in the area.

Here's a short list of exercises, including Kegels that can help both men and women:

1. Protect Your Pelvic Floor - Remember to breathe in and out during activities and don't hold your breath, this includes while having a bowel movement or doing crunches. Strive to use correct posture and form, including stabilizing your abdominal muscles and engaging the pelvic floor during instances of higher stress, such as lifting or pushing.

Use the exercises below to help engage your abdominal muscles without straining your pelvic floor muscles. While exercising and sitting, keep your knees together, which helps to support these muscles and reduce your risk of developing piriformis syndrome.

2. Kegel Exercises - It's important to learn the correct technique and practice them diligently to enjoy the greatest effect. Speak with your physician first to determine if there is any underlying medical condition that may preclude starting Kegel exercises, such as a urinary tract infection or prostate problems.

Kegels help to contract and relax your pelvic floor. The key is to fully relax the muscles after contraction, as keeping them slightly contracted will eventually weaken the muscle. These exercises are best learned lying down so you aren't also fighting gravity.

Your pelvic floor muscles surround your vagina and anus, so it's helpful to visualize squeezing and lifting this area toward your head, while not engaging your abdominal or gluteal muscles. Hold the contraction for 5 to 8 seconds and do up to 10 repetitions. After learning how to do them and isolating the muscles, you can do them sitting in your chair or standing. No one ever knows you're doing them.

3. Move Through All Planes - Your body has the ability to move in other directions than just forward. Many of those other movements functionally engage your pelvic floor muscles.

Doing hip and body circles or moving side to side, in a more upright position than a speed skater, engages your hips, also attached to your pelvic floor. Functional exercises improve the interaction between muscle groups and, over time, reduce problems with injury.

4. Zip It - Keeping your abdominal muscles engaged during the day helps to reduce lower back pain and improve your overall posture. But, most people only use their external muscles, while forgetting the internal pelvic floor muscles. Imagine doing a gentle Kegel exercise and gently pulling your belly button toward your spine while pulling your shoulders back.

Engaging these muscles helps to keep your head to hips in proper alignment and reduce pressure and strain on your lower back, hips and pelvic floor.

5. Head to Hips in Proper Alignment - Maintaining great posture burns calories as it engages your muscles and improves balance and reduces lower and upper back pain.

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