Stress Incontinence Treatments - Exercise and Diet

Stressors - sneezing, coughing, lifting and laughing
"I laughed so hard, I felt the tears run down my leg"

Stress incontinence is a common problem. This type of incontinence affects both men and women of all ages and health status. However, it is important to realize that stress incontinence is usually the result of an underlying medical problem. This makes it crucial that if you are experiencing symptoms of stress incontinence that you seek out a medical evaluation. However, treatment for stress incontinence can be a lengthy process. This makes it very important that you have management strategies in place to help you while you are going through treatment. One of the most important management strategies is to have the right incontinence products on hand.

Today, there is a wide variety of incontinence products. People who are experiencing stress incontinence can choose from incontinence supplies that include: incontinence pads, incontinence underwear, and adult diapers (used mostly for people with moderate to severe incontinence). In addition, it is important to realize that there are incontinence products for men and incontinence products for women that will meet the unique needs of each gender. People who have stress incontinence no longer have to deal with the embarrassment of shopping in a store for their incontinence underwear. There are many online sites that offer numerous choices in incontinence supplies that can be bought from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

                                What the video:  How to choose the right incontinence product

Once you have the right incontinence products to meet your needs you can begin participating in whatever treatment your doctor recommends for you. Many times doctors will prescribe a two-fold treatment for their patients with stress incontinence. This type of treatment includes:

• Exercise-This type of treatment can be helpful because the basic cause of stress incontinence is the weakening of the muscles that are on the pelvic floor. When these muscles have weakened the person with stress incontinence will find that they leak urine when they laugh, sneeze, cough, or participate in any physical exertion. This leakage can be anything from a few drops to a complete lack of urinary control. Exercise has been found to be highly beneficial in strengthening those muscles. The recommended exercises are-
1. Kegel exercises-This is the contraction and release of the muscles that make up the pelvic floor. Over time this type of exercise can be highly beneficial in strengthening the needed muscles for better urinary control.
2. Cardio exercise-Stress incontinence is made worse by additional weight. If the patient is carry too much weight often times the doctor will recommend cardio exercise to help lose weight and take the pressure off of the pelvic floor muscles.
3. Other physical therapy-Additional physical therapy may be prescribed depending on the health and the needs of the patient.
• Diet-What a patient eats and drinks, and doesn’t eat and drink can play a significant role in treating stress incontinence. The doctor may make specific recommendations or have their patient meet with a nutritionist in order to determine what dietary changes need to be made for the treatment of their stress incontinence. Some common recommendations are-
1. Limiting alcohol, caffeine in all forms (yes that also means chocolate), citrus juices, soda and tea since all of these can act as bladder irritants and make stress incontinence worse.
2. Limiting spicy foods since many people find that spicy foods can make stress incontinence worse.
3. Drinking plenty of water in order to make sure the patient stays hydrated.
4. Eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber since constipation can make stress incontinence worse.

To find out more about all aspects of incontinence please visit http://caregiverpartnership.com/landing/incontinence. For help and guidance in selecting incontinence products please click on http://caregiverpartnership.com/incontinence-product-finder.  

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