Learn more about incontinence
These articles about leaks, bedwetting and continence care are here for you regardless if you are a man, woman, carer, relative, or professional.
Pelvic floor training
Pelvic floor training means that you strengthen your supportive muscles around the urethra and bladder doing repetitive voluntary contractions, to build tone and strength for the supportive muscles around the urethra and bladder, which need to stay tight to prevent urine leakage.
Bladder training means that you train yourself to regain bladder control by scheduling and keeping track of the time between toilet visits. If you drink a litre and a half a day you should visit the toilet up to 8 times. If you have to go more often than that, you may benefit from bladder training.
Bladder training involves becoming aware of patterns of , and getting new habits for emptying your bladder. This means avoiding ‘just in case’ visits to the toilet, as well as last minute rushes. During training you train the bladder in holding bigger amounts of urine, and you lengthen the time between toilet visits. Distracting yourself, and squeezing the , instead of immediately running to the toilet when feeling urgency, are useful methods for doing this. Planning toilet visits and keeping a bladder diary can also help. This way you can gradually extend the time between your visits to the toilet and regain bladder control.
Behavioural modification means that you adapt your lifestyle to reduce, prevent, or treat the problems of incontinence. Examples include making sure you don’t drink too much, or little, fluid during the day and avoiding drinks that can irritate the bladder, such as coffee and energy drinks. You can also set up a training regimen and change eating habits to lose weight, which sometimes contributes to incontinence. Another behavioural modification can be to make sure you have healthy toilet habits.
In addition to bladder training there are a few other treatment options. Biofeedback is a method for gathering and measuring information, for example by using sensors and computer monitoring during pelvic floor training, to tell if the correct muscles are contracting. Another approach is to use a device for vaginal support, to support the urethra, bladder, vagina, uterus and rectum. Other potential treatment options include injections of bulking agents around the urethra to add supportive bulk, or various types of surgery.
And lastly, of course our incontinence products can also be used to control and manage the problems you are experiencing.
Please read more, and consult the TENA site suited best for you.