HOW TO JUMP WITH CONFIDENCE

LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP STOP THE LEAKS

Over five million Australians are affected by incontinence – that’s one in four of us! Many women assume they suffer from bladder leaks as part of the ageing process or because they’ve had children, but there is much you can do to cure, manage, or improve the condition, says continence and pelvic floor physiotherapist Annabelle Citroen, who is an ambassador for the Continence Foundation of Australia. Here, she explains the strategies that can help.

DEVELOP GOOD BOWEL HABITS

Constipation can put increased pressure on the bladder, leading to poor emptying or more frequent or strong sensations of needing to wee. On top of this, frequent straining to empty the bowel can weaken the pelvic floor muscles over time and contribute to bladder or bowel leakage. As a start, healthy bowel function relies on adequate fluid and fibre intake, responding to the urge to poo when it arises and having good toileting posture. The muscles around our bladder and bowel openings relax best when our posture resembles a ‘squatting’ position, which we can create by using a foot stool or similar to achieve the position of the knees higher than the hips.

, DON T FORGET FLUIDS

Adequate fluid intake is important, ensuring a total intake of around 1.5-2 litres each day, or more if the environment is hot or there is increased physical activity. Ideally the majority of our fluid intake should be water, limiting fluids which may irritate the bladder, including caffeine, carbonated drinks and alcohol. If increased Daily exercise will help you maintain a healthy body weight, which in turn relieves pressure on the pelvic floor. night toilet visits are a problem, try to limit your fluid intake three to four hours before bed.

KEEP UP THE EXERCISE

Maintaining a healthy body weight helps limit the amount of pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor region. Daily exercise will help achieve this in addition to helping stimulate bowel function. Leakage when exercise, whether it’s walking, skipping, star jumps, or weight lifting, indicates the pelvic floor muscles are not working optimally. Rather than limit exercises to those you can do without leakage, it is important to seek help to improve the function of these muscles and allow you to maintain an active lifestyle.

GET TO KNOW YOUR PELVIC FLOOR

As a guide, you can attempt to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles by imagining stopping the flow of urine, or trying to stop passing wind. With each squeeze you should also aim to lift up inside the vagina. Following each squeeze, you should feel a complete relaxation or ‘letting go’ of the muscles. Ensure you’re not holding your breath or squeezing your buttock or inner thigh muscles. Aim for three seconds for a start. Repeat regularly, as many times as you can, up to a maximum of 12 squeezes. Ideally, these exercises should form part of a daily routine. For a full description of how to do pelvic floor muscle training, visit continence.org.au.