1 in 10 women over the age of 65 experience urinary or stress incontinence, which is the condition where your bladder releases involuntarily, causing leaks during any movements such as laughing, coughing, or heavy lifting. It’s a common condition that affects women of any age. It can cause embarrassment and discomfort that can last for years.
Stress incontinence means that there exercise can also cause urine leaks if pressure is being placed on the bladder. The solution is not to simply avoid doing exercise, but to find out which exercises can help your condition as well as avoiding any further leaks. Here are some exercises that can help reduce pressure on your bladder muscles in different ways.
Exercises for your pelvic floor
- Yoga: this helps by lengthening your spine and stretching your muscles.
- Swimming: this exercise puts no pressure on your bladder, preventing any stress incontinence.
- Kegels: these are a set of workouts that target your pelvic floor muscles, of which your bladder is a part. You want to strengthen the stability of your pelvic floor muscles, transverse abdominis (part of your core), and the muscles that control the position of your buttocks.
- Ball squeeze: strengthen your inner thigh and pelvic floor muscles by placing an exercise ball between your thighs, squeezing to hold for 10 seconds, and repeating this 10 times.
At Southern Urogynecology, we provide services to help you improve your pelvic floor and reduce urinary incontinence. Contact us today to book a free consultation to learn how we can help you!
