My spidey senses tingled -
I'm a physio with an interest in women's health. Been trawling the boards trying to suss out whether mumsnetters would be interested in a MN campaign about pelvic floors and continence.
It seems really common that people know they should be doing something, just not sure what. Which is kind of annoying, seeing as how it's really my job to tell you - but, the sad fact is that seeing as how one in three women aged 35-55 wet themselves when they laugh then we must conclude that physios aren't doing their job well enough.
Doing your exercises will sort most cases of stress incontinence. There are things that can't be helped by exercises alone, like concentrate found - but you must still doyerblardyexercises. Every day. For life.
I know, it's soooo dull. But, so is pishing yourself when you try to unlock the door....
There's three exercises:
- so you can hold on and unlock the door: imagine you are bursting for the toilet, squeeze as hard as you can for 10seconds. When you let go you should feel a "drop" No drop and you've lost the contraction, so try to build up to 10 seconds.
- so you don't wet yourself when you cough: 10 "quick flicks" in a row
- So you engage all the muscles of the pelvic floor: imagine you have a tiny wee lift in your la-la (I know, it's a weird one. Don't overthink the imagery) Lift to the first, second adn third floors - and then back to the second and the first (it's really tricky on the descent)
do that 3 times a day. Every day. For life.
And, that way, bits of you won't fall right out.
I'm trialling using twitter as a pelvic floor prompt. When I tweet, you twitch yer twinkle - feel free to follow me, though, I am new to twitter and finding it all rather like being in a busy pub with eleventy billion conversations going on around me...@gussiegrips
If anyone wants to chat about their specific ishoos - please feel free to PM me.
And, to ask MN for a campaign. Lighthearted attitude aside, continence problems destroy lives. People can have problems with both wee and poo staying where they want it, and prolapses can be a dreadful thing to live with.
You don't have to put up with it. But, you do have to doyerblardyexercises.