Do you leak when you laugh? Here are 5 Myths regarding this common problem..

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Incontinence is a term that describes any accidental or involuntary loss of urine from the bladder (urinary incontinence) or bowel motion, faeces or wind from the bowel (faecal or bowel incontinence). It ranges in severity and over 4.8 million Australians have bladder or bowel control problems for a variety of reasons.¹

Strong pelvic floor muscles gives us control over the internal organs that it supports i.e. the bladder, bowel, and uterus in women. This will ensure that you have better control of the release of urine, faeces or wind.¹Here are a couple of myths about pelvic floor muscles:²

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are easy to do

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are not always easy to do because they’re a set of complicated muscles that are difficult to isolate

You can learn pelvic floor muscle exercises from a pamphlet

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can be learned from a pamphlet by some people, but more often than not, people get the technique wrong and this can make the problem worse. To learn about how to train pelvic floor muscles, watch this video

Pelvic floor muscle exercises don’t work

There is evidence to show that pelvic floor exercises are effective for certain types of incontinence, such as stress incontinence, urge incontinence, and also faecal incontinence. There is ample evidence to show that pelvic floor muscle exercises are effective when the exercises are done correctly and when taught and supervised by a professional, for example, a physiotherapist.

I’m too old for pelvic floor muscle exercises

Age is no barrier to the benefits of pelvic floor muscle exercises. Older people are just as likely as younger people to benefit from pelvic floor exercises

I’ve had a baby, the damage is done

There is evidence to show that postnatal pelvic floor muscle exercises are able to assist in the recovery of pelvic floor muscle function and to reduce or cure the likelihood of urinary incontinence in women who have had instrumental births or big babies

If you have any questions about incontinence or pelvic floor exercises, leave a comment or speak to one of our pharmacists about it. Feel free to share this article with your friends and family members to help empower more people in the community! For ongoing health and medicine updates, follow our Facebook page and Website!

References

1. Continence Foundation of Australia. Pelvic Floor Muscles [Internet]. Continence Foundation of Australia [cited 2018 May 22]. Available from: https://www.continence.org.au/pages/how-do-pelvic-floor-muscles-help.html
2. Continence Foundation of Australia. Common Myths [Internet]. Continence Foundation of Australia [cited 2018 May 22]. Available from: https://www.continence.org.au/pages/common-myths-about-your-pelvic-floor.html