WebJulAug2018

52 | www.westendermagazine.com
Health Matters
GP Dr. Pamela Leggate, of Glasgow West Medical Practice,
discusses a sensitive, yet common, complaint – incontinence.
Not a normal part of ageing and not to be tolerated. Pick up
some top tips here, there’s no need to put up with it.
It’s not something we talk about much
but urinary incontinence is actually more
common than you think and is no laughing
matter! There are two main types – Stress
incontinence (nothing to do with anxiety)
where urine leaks out when you cough,
sneeze or jump on a trampoline (as you do);
and Urge incontinence when you need to go
and you need to go right now or else…
Women are more commonly affected
than men and will often ignore or put up
with the symptoms for years rather than
suffer the embarrassment of admitting they
have a problem. Incontinence can be more
of an issue as you get older but should not
be accepted as a normal part of the aging
process.
Stress incontinence is caused when the
pressure from the full bladder is too great
for the bladder outlet to withstand. It is more
common in women after childbirth, which can
weaken the pelvic floor muscles, but is not
inevitable. Often small amounts of urine will
leak or dribble, sometimes larger amounts
will flood out. In these cases, the first
treatment option is to try to strengthen pelvic
floor muscles with regular exercises.
You can find instructions for pelvic floor
exercises on NHS Choices and there’s
even an NHS app called ‘Squeezy’ which
you can download from the App store
(£2.99, currently only for IOS, but can be
used on an apple watch – who would have
thought it?!).
If you’re struggling to get the hang of
the exercises yourself, there are specialist
physiotherapists who can help (ask your
GP for a continence clinic referral) or there