Hordle june july22

Laugh Don’t Leak!
(title curtesy of Elaine Miller FCSP)
Let’s talk about bladders and the problems we may suffer from. As a physio who has
had a special interest in pelvic floor rehabilitation in women over the past 20 years, I
am passionate to educate others about what you can do to help yourselves.
Urinary stress incontinence (USI) is the term used to describe loss of urine when your
bladder is under pressure. For example: when you cough, sneeze, laugh or run across
the road.
Millions of people suffer from all types of incontinence (including many elite athletes)
and research suggests that between 60-80% of USI problems can be improved with
conservative measures. Up to 97% of women who do their pelvic floor exercises 3 times
a day for 3-5 months will have a complete resolution of their symptoms, so that great
news but understandably quite a challenge to keep up. My favourite saying is that they
are as important as cleaning your teeth and for a lifetime!
Now conservative measures means ‘not surgery’ and as well as exercises there are
many products on the market to assist in our bladder leakage management. I am not
paid by any companies to promote their products and I like to give independent advice
to my patients. However, the Contrelle Activgard is one of my favourites to recommend
for the right patients and a bonus that it is now manufactured in the UK and brought to
you by a local based specialist company.
It is an easy to insert vaginally, comfortable to
wear and will help to support the neck of the
bladder to help prevent urinary leakage when you
are active. I have lots of patient using them for
sport (running, golf, tennis, horse riding for
example) with high levels of satisfaction.
Sorry chaps, this one is not for you but you can still practice your pelvic floor exercises.
Any Chartered physiotherapist with specialist training in women’s or men’s health can
assess your pelvic floor and start you on the road to recovery. ‘Laugh don’t leak’ as my
amazing Scottish physio/comedian colleague promotes (see her at the Edinburgh Fringe
festival in the summer, she is hilarious!)
Cheryl Boettger MCSP,Hordle Physiotherapy
http://hordlephysiotherapy.com/
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