subject: Urinary Incontinence – Stand Up Straight And Stay Dry [print this page] How many times did your Mom tell you to "stand up straight" as a kid? She'd catch you slouching, issue that order and for a moment you'd brace yourself in an upright position of perfect posture. She'd leave and you'd revert to your teen slouch which was just such a cool look right? Well Mom was right again and this time she was right about something she probably hadn't thought of. Good posture helps prevent urinary incontinence.
Your bladder shares space with other organs in your lower abdomen. There is a group of muscles known as the pelvic floor muscles that are responsible for supporting and protecting bladder. If they fail or even just weaken, your bladder will be susceptible to outside pressure such as a simple sneeze or an adjoining organ pushing on it. This pressure can cause an involuntary flow of urine.
So what does posture have to do with it. Well if you have good posture, if you are correctly aligned, your pelvic bone structure will be in a neutral position. That is to say it will not be tilting up or tilting down either of which position could weaken the pelvic floor muscles or cause a shift in organs. A good posture minimizes pressure on the bladder.
So how do you know when you have good posture? Here's a quick way to find out. Stand with your feet planted under your shoulders and then close your eyes. Flex your knees just a tad to the point where they are not locked. Take both hands and place them on your head and then, eyes still closed, bring your elbows out even with your shoulders. Now slowly lower your arms with palms out. Open your eyes.
This exercise brings you into alignment and this is what proper posture feels like. Now close your eyes again and start remembering what this position feels like. You'll probably feel a tugging sensation in your abdomen as your muscles try to hold this position. The idea is to strengthen those muscles to make this the normal stance for you.
Controlling your posture has many other benefits than just controlling urinary incontinence such a minimizing back, neck and knee pain. Keep posture in mind and your body will work longer and better.
Urinary Incontinence Stand Up Straight And Stay Dry
