Common Treatments & Solutions
The most important thing is to talk to, and take your doctor’s advice. Once you have spoken to your doctor and determined that you have incontinence, there are several things you can do to improve your condition. Nothing here should override what a certified doctor instructs. With all that being said, there are some non-medical at-home exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles that lead to incontinence.
Exercises for Beating Incontinence
Kegel exercises are a great way to strengthen your pelvic muscles to limit and combat incontinence. There are two types of Kegels, basic and advanced. Be sure to start off with basic before moving on to advanced Kegels.
- The first thing to do is locate the muscles that control urination and flow. The easiest way to identify these muscles is to begin urinating (over a toilet) and then stop the stream. The muscles that clench are the ones you should work on developing and strengthening.
- Once you have identified your pelvic muscles, and are away from the toilet, sit on the floor and work on holding the muscles at five-second intervals. Such exercises can literally be practiced anywhere – in the car, in your office, at home watching TV, etc. And the best part – No one else has to know you’re doing them! After this step, then you can move on to more advanced Kegel exercises.
- Deep Flex: The deep flex is more advanced than simply working out the pelvic muscles in five second intervals. The deep flex does involve doing this, but doing it with more intensity. For instance, it involves clenching the pelvic muscles for five-second intervals, gradually trying to work your way up to 10-second intervals. This exercise will strengthen the muscles more quickly.
Eating and Drinking Healthier
Getting fit and losing weight are two great ways to improve your continence. By eating better and working out you can get your body in better physical condition, which will relieve some of the stress on your bladder and strengthen your pelvic muscles.
What you eat can affect incontinence symptoms. Spicy and acidic foods are known to be an irritant to the bladder.
Pay close attention to what you drink and how much as well. Caffeine and alcohol can cause issues. While drinking lots of fluid can make you want to run to the bathroom not drinking enough water won’t actually help. Severely cutting back on fluid can lead to constipation or dehydration which can actually make your symptoms worse.
Scheduled toilet trips
By going to the bathroom when you want, as opposed to when you have to, you reduce the urge to go throughout the day. Scheduling times to go to the bathroom every two to four hours will help to alleviate your incontinence.
Medical/Surgical Options
If after consulting your doctor, and trying some of these at-home remedies you feel that you need further treatment, there are several medical procedures that will improve your incontinence, starting with medication. There are several different medications your doctor can prescribe.
There are also some medical devices you can get to help relieve the need to consistently go to the bathroom. Urethral inserts or pessaries are two tools that doctors can prescribe to you.
A last-case scenario is to have surgery. Some commonly used procedures specifically designed for incontinence are:
- Sling procedures: This is when strips of your body tissue, synthetic material or mesh are used to create a pelvic sling around your bladder neck and urethra.
- Bladder neck suspension: This procedure is designed to provide support to your urethra and bladder neck.
- Prostate Surgery: Surgery on the prostate can greatly reduce the levels of incontinence you suffer from. It may take time as the muscles strengthen, but after some time, you’ll start to see improvement.
Manage Your Symptoms
Urinary incontinence doesn’t have to stop you from living a complete and active lifestyle! Wearever allows those with mild to moderate symptoms to have leak protection that looks, sounds and feels like real underwear – because it is! Our men’s line even has a fully functional fly. Live life confidently!