Urinary incontinence and Stress Urinary Incontinence is something that many people are aware of or have heard someone close to them speak about. Of course, this is not limited to any segment of our population. Most often, this occurrence is normalized as being part of the aging process or sometimes positively reassured as the result of strenuous exercise ( this is the case with SUi)
There is a better part of our advertising dollar that is utilized to mask the issue of incontinence by normalizing feminine hygiene products. These products are helpful and do give us confidence and discretely live our lives in comfort. However, we can do something about it.
Recall the previous posts. We touched on the diaphragm and the pelvic floor. These are an essential part of our respiratory system. And inhaling slowly and gently through the nose can help activate the diaphragm and pelvic floor.
Picture the diaphragm and the pelvic floor as two muscles that make up the top and bottom of a canister. Both muscles are similar in shape and move together as we breathe. The sides of the canister consist of the abdominal wall in front and side, and the posterior portion comprises the back muscles. When we inhale gently and fully through the nose, it activates the muscles around the rib cage and the pelvic floor, thus, strengthening the entire canister. With this in mind, when we work out, walk, run or are engaged in our daily activities, we build the strength and integrity of our pelvic floor muscles.
Our first reaction to Urinary Incontinence is to squeeze or tighten the pelvic floor. And just like any other muscle in the body, it too doesn’t respond to squeezing and or pulling. In fact, over a while, the integrity of the pelvic floor muscle is diminished, and that’s when we fully encounter urinary incontinence from a light leak infrequently to something a little more.