Page 34 - Seniors Toady - September Issue 2020
P. 34

Fitness






         The dreaded



         leakage






         Urinary incontinence can often be
         cured and controlled with some
         discipline and drill,
         writes Dr A R Vanitha Senthil






         Urinary incontinence is when a person               For many people with urinary
         leaks urine by accident. It is a common            incontinence, the following exercises and
         problem among the elderly, and estimated           lifestyle changes are enough to relieve
         to affect 25 per cent of the community.            symptoms.
         Structural changes in the ageing bladder
         and urethra may predispose the elderly to          Pelvic floor exercises
         the development of urinary incontinence.           Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel
         Involuntary leakage of urine can get               exercises, help strengthen the urinary
         troublesome and embarrassing.                      sphincter and pelvic floor muscles. They are
          Many people think that urinary                    easy and can be done anytime, anywhere.
         incontinence is an unavoidable part of              Squeeze the muscles that you use to stop
         ageing. No, that’s not true. Older adults          your urine flow. Make sure to focus on only
         need not be distressed about lack of self-         your pelvic muscles. Now pretend your
         control. Urinary incontinence can often be         vagina is a lift and you are going upwards.
         cured and controlled with some discipline          Be careful not to squeeze the muscles of the
         and drill. Regular pelvic floor exercises and      leg, buttock or abdomen instead.
         bladder training can bring about significant        Hold for at least four seconds. The more
         improvement and urinary control.                   often you do this, the “higher” you can go.
                                                            Try holding for up to 10 seconds.
         Types of urinary incontinence                       Slowly exhale through your mouth and
          • Stress incontinence                             gradually release the hold. Repeat 10–20
          • Urge incontinence/ Overactive bladder           times in a row at least three times a day.
          • Overflow incontinence                            You can test your pelvic floor muscles
          • Mixed incontinence                              with a simple stop–start test. When using
          • Functional incontinence                         the bathroom, begin to urinate and cut off
          • Reflex incontinence                             the flow by contracting the muscles. If you


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