Stress incontinence - peeing when you laugh, cough, sneeze or any other physical exertion - has been called 'The Silent Epidemic' as so many suffer from it and do not seek advice from friends, family or medical professionals.
It incredible to think that 200 million people worldwide suffer from the problem according to the US National Association For Continence. One in four women over the age of 18 experience episodes of urinary incontinence showing that you don't have to be senior or have given birth to be part of The Silent Epidemic.
Recent research from the University of South Australia indicates that physiotherapy has proven to be very effective in treating stress incontinence in about 80 per cent of cases.
According to PhD physiotherapy student Trish Neumann "For a long time stress incontinence was treated by surgical procedures without going through physiotherapy as a first option, but the outcomes of surgery have not always been positive with success rates as low as 50 to 60 per cent...This led to recommendations that physiotherapy be tried first..."
This has been the most comprehensive study ever undertaken in Australia involving 274 women with stress incontinence. Aged between 23 to 77 years, the women were given pelvic floor muscle training by specialist continence physiotherapists in 35 centres across Australia.
The study showed that expert guidance from a specially trained continence physiotherapist in the correct pelvic floor exercise technique is needed to ensure success. In the study the training was completed in an average of five treatments over several months. Once they had the correct technique they completed the exercises at home.
After one year about 80 per cent of the women were either cured or significantly improved and were happy with the outcome. Which indicates a remarkable success rate.
Exercising the pelvic floor correctly is the critical activity in the treatment of urinary incontinence. Regardless of your age, once the pelvic floor muscles have been strengthened they will automatically control urine.
The exercise routine takes very little time and can be done at times convenient to you. You should try to build it into your daily activities - working at your desk, driving or walking, watching TV are all suitable times.
A major benefit is that even this easy & convenient exercise routine can overcome the understandable disincentive to exercise. Once you can control your urine you can become more active, increase your fitness, feel better about yourself, it is a virtuous circle.
This is the key to your long-term success, building the pelvic floor exercises routine into your daily life. It will encourage you to improve your general fitness.
It is important to remember that men, who can also suffer from Stress Incontinence, also benefit from pelvic floor muscle training.
So the next time you go to your GP about stress incontinence, please suggest that you are referred for physiotherapy first as it has been proven to be effective.