Does the title of this article ring true for you?
Do accidents (leaks) happen when you laugh, sneeze or cough, and do you feel that you are the only person experiencing this?
Fear, not ladies, let me tell you this problem is more common than you think, as many as 1 in 3 people will suffer from stress incontinence at least once in their lives, and the good news is it can be cured or managed with regular and consistent exercises.
The exercises can be done while you are doing other things, such as washing up, driving the car, sitting on the bus, etc.
But first, let me briefly explain “The pelvic floor”.
The pelvic floor consists of a number of muscles that run underneath the pelvis like a hammock. They connect to the pubic bone at the front to the tail bone at the back and on to each seat bone. One sheet of muscle on the left and one on the right and surround the lower passages.
They have a number of important functions:
*Support the contents of the pelvis and abdomen.
*Stop us weeing when coughing sneezing or laughing
*Maintain bladder control and helping us wee
*Preventing stress incontinence
*Maintaining bowel continence and helping us poo
*Preventing prolapse ( sagging of the walls of the vagina) and assisting with recovery from prolapse
*Increase the enjoyment of sex.
A number of things can cause the pelvic floor to weaken. (More common in females than males) such as:
*Pregnancy – the weight of the baby pressing against the pelvic floor
*Childbirth – stretching and tearing of the muscles
*Prolonged inactivity
*Urinary diseases and infections
*Constipation and other bowel conditions
*Obesity
*Excessive coughing
*Excessive and sustained jumping and impact
*Hormonal changes
*Constant heavy lifting
Exercises will be explained on a future blog