Do kegels for your bladder

Aug 14, 2012

If you are suffering with urinary incontinence, you need to take another look at pelvic floor exercises and bladder training.

By Vision reporter
If you are suffering with urinary incontinence, you need to take another look at pelvic floor exercises and bladder training.

You have probably read previous articles about these exercises. If you had not taken previous research findings seriously, a July 2012 review by the American based Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) should give you more reason to start kegel exercises.

According to the review, about 25% of young women and 44% to 57% of middle-aged and postmenopausal women experience involuntary urine loss.

Their findings show that age, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, hysterectomy, and obesity put women at a higher risk of suffering from urinary incontinence.

Fortunately, there are several forms of treatment for women suffering from urinary incontinence.

An independent team of investigators analysed 889 studies and prepared a comparative effectiveness review.
 
The AHRQ review compared different treatments for urinary incontinence that included doing pelvic floor muscle (Kegel) exercises, bladder training; using medical devices, weight loss, medications and electrical stimulation, among others.

They found that “pelvic floor muscle training, combined with bladder training is effective for treating women with urinary incontinence without the risk of side effects.

The drugs for urgency incontinence showed similar effectiveness. However, with some drugs, more women discontinued treatment due to bothersome side effects.”

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