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What Helps With Bladder Control – Here’s What You Need To Know
Much older adult’s bladder control can be affected by a number of factors. Many are able to continue with their normal routine without any noticeable issues, but for some, urinary incontinence can become quite difficult to avoid. For many people who suffer from bladder incontinence, the routine of urination every hour or two might seem like a dream.
The main cause of females and males that age over 50 is due to prolonged stress on the pelvic floor muscles that help in holding urine in place. For most men and women this issue starts as they age and takes time to fix itself until it becomes an unavoidable issue where nothing can be done about it short of major surgery (and even then not all will find relief).
One issue that causes problems in elderly people is the loss of abdominal muscles, mainly the rectus abdominis muscle. This is normally a very strong muscle that helps compress the stomach and supports the spine. As people age they tend to lose finger dexterity and also because there are more people living to old age than ever before (this means many people don’t have enough time for it to truly repair itself), it’s not surprising this muscle declines as well which can cause issues with control.
In order for this muscle to be effective, it needs to contract and hold both urines inside as well as outside of the body. This is very important to help control incontinence, and for many people, it works quite well. For older adults that have trouble controlling their bladder and are experiencing frequent urination, it might be a good idea to work on improving these abdominal muscles.
Strengthening your abdominal muscles is possible regardless of how old you are. There are some great simple exercises you can do at home while watching television or even a few quick things you can do while sitting at the office that can help improve the effectiveness of this muscle.
1. In a sitting position with your legs crossed and slowly lift up your upper body by contracting your abdominals in a forward motion. Repeat for 10-15 reps.
2. Lie on your back with your arms extended out to your side and inhale deeply. As you exhale, slowly bring your torso upwards by tightening the abdominal muscles and lifting them up off of the floor. Repeat 10 times.
3. While sitting or standing, suck in the lower portion of each stomach while attempting to touch your belly button to your spine. Exhale and release slowly as you relax the muscles pretending that you are getting something out of a balloon or tube in which case you would be filling it up once again with air. Repeat 10 times.
This type of training can also be done by adding in a few more reps to each of your daily tasks. For example, every time you walk up or downstairs, take the time to take at least 3 additional steps than you would normally do. This will help strengthen this muscle while you are performing your day-to-day activities and should help improve your overall ability to control your bladder.
It’s important to keep in mind that if you are considering surgery, it is best to strengthen the muscle first in order to improve your bladder control. This will help reduce the chance of complications after surgery and could possibly even eliminate the need for any surgical intervention at all. It’s important to discuss with your doctor or specialist before beginning any new exercise program and make sure it is safe for you to do so.
Finally, while this article has been focused on older adults above 50, these can still be used by younger people who are experiencing frequent issues with incontinence as well.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be used instead of or contrary to that of a medical professional. Before taking supplements, starting a new diet, or embarking on a new exercise regime please consult a medical or nutritional professional. The owners of “Getting Healthy After 50” are not medical professionals and are simply redistributing information that is freely available on the internet.
