“I’ll just stay at home today.” “Oops!”  “Another accident!”

How many times have you said one of these phrases because of urinary incontinence?

According to the Continence Foundation of Australia:

• Urinary incontinence affects 10% of men, and 38% of women – presumably a much higher percentage in the older population.
• 80% of those with urinary incontinence are women
• 70% of people with urinary leakage do not seek advice or treatment

There are 2 major types of incontinence:

• Urge incontinence: the involuntary loss of urine associated with urgency. For example: Arriving home and having an accident while trying to put the keys in the front door. (“When I gotta go I gotta go”)
• Stress incontinence: the involuntary loss of urine associated with activities such as sneezing, laughing, jumping, walking or lifting. (“Don’t make me laugh!!”)

Did you know that there are some things that can help? Here are some simple tips to help improve incontinence:

• Cut back on caffeine and alcohol intake. 
• Go to the toilet when your bladder is full – avoid going “just in case”.
• Relax on the toilet – this allows your bladder to full empty.
• Contact National Continence Helpline 1800 33 00 66 for information.
• Connect with an experienced physiotherapist. Our local physiotherapist, Jason Do, can really help you improve your incontinence through properly executed pelvic floor exercises. Call him to book an appointment: 0406 313 861. He is located in Belmore but also does home visits to the village. 
• Connect with your GP to ensure it is fully investigated and any underlying cause is treated.