Suggestions for incontinence

I was curious to see if you have any suggestions on helping with incontinence. Thank you.


Incontinence is a problem that can affect people belonging to all age and sex groups, but is more commonly observed in the elderly and in women. There are four major kinds of incontinence: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence and overflow continence. Stress incontinence is caused due to the weakening of the muscles of the lower pelvis, which are responsible for supporting the urinary organs in proper shape and position. Childbirth, menopause, surgical removal of the uterus or the prostate gland and local Injuries are the most common reasons behind this condition. Urge incontinence refers to a condition in which the nerves that connect the bladder to the brain are damaged, causing sudden, irrepressible urges to urinate. This may result from injury to the spinal cord, stroke, or diseases like multiple sclerosis. Often, patients suffer from a combination of the aforementioned symptoms and are said to have mixed incontinence. Overflow incontinence is a condition in which the urinary system produces more urine than the bladder can hold at a time. The reasons behind this are poor functioning of the bladder muscles, growth of a tumor and enlargement of the prostate gland. In order to treat incontinence, you should first consult a doctor to diagnose the exact nature of your problem. Keeping a tab on the exact circumstances under which accidental urination occurs is the first step towards this. Details like the amount of fluids consumed before the occurrence, the activity that you were engaged when it happened, and the frequency at which such incidents take place will reveal a pattern that would help your doctor to prescribe appropriate medication.

You should quit smoking if you are incontinent, as the nicotine present in cigarettes acts as an irritant on the inner lining of the bladder and worsens the condition. If you are overweight, adopt a strict diet and exercise regime to shed off excess fat, as this creates extra pressure on the bladder and triggers incontinence. Also, make it a habit to visit the washroom at regular intervals even if you do not always feel the urge to. Start out with a one-hour gap between such visits, and gradually increase it to two or three hours. This will minimize the risk of accidental urination. Exercise your pelvic muscles by lying flat on the ground with your legs slightly apart and your knees bent. Now try contracting the urethral opening as if you were trying to hold back urine, but without tensing up the muscles of your stomach or thighs.

answered by G M


Strengthening the pelvic muscles is a good way to tackle

incontinence. Regular Kegel's exercises will help strengthen

pelvic muscles.  Hold back while urinating or during a bowel

movement (sphincter muscles). Do this for 2 minutes thrice a day.  This is sure to help with incontinence.  

answered by K C


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