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Incontinence, walking and Kegels

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Posted 6/30/2009 10:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hello again,

I know that a number of participants on the forum recommend walking as a way of overcoming incontinence problems following a prostatectomy. I also see that some suggest doing Kegels while walking.

Personally, I find that tightening my pelvic floor muscles while standing always induces a squirt and, in fact, the instructions I was given by the hospital recommends squeezing the pelvic floor muscles after urinating to ensure you have completely emptied the bladder.

The end result for me is that if I attempt to Kegel while walking then rather than a steady, non-stop drip of urine I get a series of squirts which create an unpleasant sensation and which my pad can't keep up with.

Therefore, in case I'm doing something wrong, I would be interested in hearing from those who walk and Kegel and learning how they do it and what they experience.

Thanks, Roger
Posted 6/30/2009 11:12 AM (GMT 0)
Greetings, Roger.  I didn't do kegels while walking.  I did walk and that was good for me.  However, I did my kegels by stopping my urine flow and then starting it again several times each time I went.  That seemed to be the most helpful to me.  Trust things will continue to improve and you'll be tossing those pads before long.  Keep in mind you are less than a month from getting your catheter removed - it takes some time so hang in there and continue to make progress.  David

Posted 6/30/2009 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
Good info here:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=1466181

Posted 6/30/2009 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
The best way to fogiure out what a Kegel feels like is to practice cutting off your stream while urinating.  This is the muscle action that you want to do and that is how it will feel. I suspect if you are losing urine by kegeling during urination, then your are using the wrong muscles for it.  If effective, it should cut off your stream, not force more urine out.  The link jacketch is very helpful in figuring that out.  Good luck
Posted 6/30/2009 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, guys, for the prompt replies. Very helpful, as always.

The article by Bill Landry in the link provided by jacketch is the best description I've read of the physiology that is involved and goes into more depth than other articles in explaining exactly what is the objective of the exercises.

I'm pretty certain that I'm exercising the right muscles in that they are the ones I use to stop urinating mid-stream. I assume that I get a squirt as I tighten the muscles when standing because they push up against the bladder and push a few millilitres out. Perhaps I'm contracting the muscles too quickly so that the pressure created in the bladder for a split second overcomes the retaining effects of the pelvic muscles. (This seems to fit in with the advice I was given about squeezing the muscles after urination to ensure the bladder is empty and to avoid an after-dribble.) I will experiment in trying to tighten the muscles more slowly.

Cheers, Roger
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