Bladder Exercises

Due to a number of life events, the pelvic muscles can become weak. Hence, many times people wet themselves when they run, lift, sneeze or cough. It is wrongly assumed that only the old suffer from leaky bladder. Loss of pelvic muscle control can happen earlier in life as well. Bladder exercises help in supporting the bladder and toning the pelvic muscles. Find some exercises for bladder control below.

Bladder Control Exercises

The bladder strengthening exercises can be done at any time of the day. It is however, advisable to do these exercises at least three times a day for better and quick results. These exercises for children are the same as those for adults.

Kegel exercises are a good example of bladder workouts that are beneficial for both men as well as women. These exercises are normally prescribed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles of childbearing women. These exercises do not directly work the bladder muscles but they strengthen the pelvic muscles, thereby, preventing the bladder from pushing down on the urethra.

One of the most common exercises for the bladder is to deliberately 'hold'. While sitting on the toilet seat, you will have to attempt to stop the flow of urine by contracting your pelvic floor muscle. If you are able to stop the flow, it is a sign, that you are using the right muscles. If your child is suffering from poor bladder control, this is a wonderful bladder exercise which can be used to treat the problem. You will have to train your child to do this exercise. However, make sure that it does not become a regular habit with your child.

The next of these exercises is to imagine that you are passing gas. Contract the muscles that you would use to pass gas. If you get the "pulling" feel then understand that you are indeed working the pelvic muscles. There is a yoga exercise called 'sacral lock'. To do this exercise, you will have to pull the belly muscle towards the spine and then hold the muscles in. It is important, that you are able to do these exercises so that you can do the more difficult exercises of the bladder.

This is another bladder exercise which you can use to correct incontinence. You can do this exercise while sitting, standing or lying down. Keep your legs slightly apart and make sure the muscles of the thighs, buttocks and abdomen are relaxed. Tighten the ring of muscles around the front and back passages by drawing the muscles inside. In the first round, complete 10 slow contractions and in the next round, do 10 fast ones. It is recommended to do this exercise 4 to 5 times a day. This exercise can easily be done while watching television, reading a book or even in the car while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. However, when you do this exercise, do not hold your breath. At the same time, you will have to make sure that you are not pushing down the muscles instead of pulling or lifting up. Another piece of advice is to refrain from tightening the stomach, buttock and thigh muscles.

It is important to note that you do not get bored with these bladder control exercises. It will take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks for these exercises to show some results. Till you see the results, it is best to use incontinence pads so that you do not end up being embarrassed. If you are think that these exercises are not giving you the desired results, it is always better to talk to your healthcare professional to rule out any other severe problem with you.