You might recall having accidently passed urine when you laugh, cough or sneeze. This involuntary passage of urine is known as incontinence. While most of us may associate this with children and senior citizens, it is primarily a woman’s problem. For many women, incontinence can be a serious problem that occurs regularly besides the occasional sneeze. While it is not a major health problem that one would have to worry about, it can be embarrassing to deal with. The cause for incontinence can range from constipation, urinary tract infection or can be a reaction to a particular medication.

Typically, there are three types of incontinence. The first kind is called stress incontinence. Stress incontinence refers to the release of urine when you sneeze, laugh or cough. It is caused when you put pressure on the bladder and is the most common kind of incontinence. When women gain weight or give birth, their pelvic muscles stretch. As these muscles stretch they cannot support the bladder properly.

The second kind of incontinence is referred to as urge continence. At times, we have a strong urge to urinate but are not able to for whatever reason. Either there is no bathroom around or we are delayed somehow. With this type of incontinence, the body may give a few seconds warning, not usually enough to take care of it. Some women may not be able to hold their urine and this will cause involuntary release. This is because they may have an over active bladder muscle which constantly pushes out urine regardless of whether the bladder is full or not. The cause for such incontinence may be irritation, emotional stress or diseases like Parkinson’s. Mixed incontinence is the third kind. This is a combination of both stress and urges incontinence.

To combat or get rid of incontinence, one of the best things a person can do is Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises help to strengthen the pelvic muscles which in turn help control the bladder. The following is the kind of Kegel exercises one should do to cure incontinence.

• The ideal thing to do first is to find the right muscle which helps you stop the urine flow. This can be done by not using your stomach, leg or gluten muscles. If you are able to do this it means you have found the right muscle. The idea is to focus on the other inner muscles.

• Once the muscle is found, clench your muscles for 10 seconds and hold. After a count of 10 relax the muscle.

• To get maximum results, this should be repeated 10-15 times a day.

• As you progress, you can increase the holding time and also the repetition time depending on your comfort ability.

Even with the introduction of Kegel exercises, it can be at least 2 months before a person sees result. In either case, it is important to identify the problem and take accurate measures.

Jonathan Pitts

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