Bladder incontinence exercises

Why exercise matters

When you have a medical condition it is important to have a strong body and to be in the best possible shape. If you’re in a poor physical condition, your bladder issues may get worse – or you may experience them as being worse, because you generally feel poorly. Being overweight and/or constipated can make bladder problems worse and a large abdomen (belly) can also make it more difficult to catheterise – especially if you are a woman. 

What sports activities are suitable for you? 

Walking 

The bouncing and pounding movement of running might cause leakage. Instead: try powerwalking (fast walking).

Lifting weights 

Heavy lifting (using hand weights or other lifting equipment) can put too much pressure on your bladder. 

Instead: switch to lighter weights and exceed the number of lifts or experiment with doing them slower or faster. 

Swimming 

Swimming is ideal because it can be done by most people regardless of how fit or mobile they are. 

Stick to your schedule

It’s easy to get carried away when you’re involved in sports activities – especially when you’re almost about to win or in good company! Set yourself a reminder so you don’t forget to do intermittent catheterisation. Think about where you’ll be doing your activity and plan when you can visit the bathroom so it doesn’t get in the way. 

Catheterise before the activity

Whatever you decide to do, catheterise right before you start, as this will minimise the risk of leakages. 

Remember to drink

Bladder issues and the insecurity of not being at home might persuade you to drink less. But if you sweat more or the weather is hot, you will need to drink even more to replace lost fluids. Take small sips and plan your catheterisations. 

Exercise for both men and women

Pelvic floor exercises – or Kegels - are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to help reduce urinary incontinence. This is how you do them: 

Isolate your pelvic floor muscles

Imagine stopping yourself from passing wind, pull in from the back passage upwards and forwards. Do not let the chest lift, do not hold your breath or tighten your stomach muscles. 

Squeeeeeeze

Squeeze and draw in the muscles around the urethra and anus. You should have a sense of ‘lift’ when squeezing. You should hold them strong and tight as you count to 8 after which you should let go. 

Relax

At this point you should have a distinct feeling of letting go. This schedule should be repeated between 8-12 times per day. If you initially cannot hold the pelvic floor for 8 seconds you should hold as long as you can. Note that training your pelvic floor muscle is a matter of how long you can hold and squeeze rather than the number repetitions.

Tips to fitting pelvic floor training into your daily life

It is important to get into a daily routine and the easiest way to accomplish this is to link the training to something that you do on a daily basis.

You can do them:

• Lying in bed before you sleep
• After meals
• Before or after undressing yourself in the evening
• Sitting in your car on your way to or from work 
• Every time you are waiting in line somewhere
• When travelling – on the plane or train, at the airport, at your hotel

It is not important where you do it - but that you get to do it on a daily basis. Therefore you should find the everyday situation that fits you the best.