Healthy Bladder Tip by Jane Quach

Q: ” Is it bad to PUSH PEE out?”
A: As many moms do, they rush in and out of the bathroom. To speed things up, women often push the pee out. Or sometimes as we’re out in public restrooms we hover over toilets and have difficulty emptying our bladders completely so we bear down and push it out.

STOP! Please stop pushing the pee out! When you bear down and strain to get that urine out, you’re bearing down and also putting an immense amount of pressure on your pelvic organs, pelvic floor, and increase your intra-abdominal pressure, increased blood pressure. Continued stress on your pelvic floor can result in prolapse (when an organ slips forward or down) or weakened pelvic floor which can contribute to incontinence.

START….. Sitting instead of hovering to relax all muscles including your pelvic floor and bladder muscles. Allow yourself at least 30-60 seconds to fully empty your bladder. You may even gently and slowly rock your pelvis forward and back to gently and naturally using gravity and allow for all of your urine to empty without straining.

DON’T rush out of the bathroom without completely emptying. A bladder that hasn’t emptied completely can stretch and weaken over time. As a result, the muscular wall of the bladder no longer contracts properly, making it harder to fully empty your bladder. So ladies, take a seat, and give yourself a minute. Relax, and let the flow naturally go. Gently rock if you need to, don’t push it.

Q: “I always feel like I have to pee. I always go just in case, but at times barely urinate. What can I do?”

A: Two most common types of incontinence are stress and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is the leaking of urine due to weakened pelvic floor muscles and tissues with activities such as exercise, usually running or jumping, laughing, sneezing, or coughing. Urge incontinence is also known as an overactive bladder (OAB). You often have an urgent need to go to the bathroom. At times you barely have any urine to empty, but you don’t want to have an accident, so just in case you frequent the bathroom. Women who have any type of pelvic/reproductive surgery, who have had a baby, who have UTIs are a few groups who are at risk of urge incontinence. WHAT CAN I DO?

STOP! irritating your bladder with caffeine, alcohol, smoking. Stop ignoring the fact that you have a form of incontinence, and start taking note of how often you’re going to the bathroom and estimate how much you’re urinating and seek guidance and assistance.

SEEK HELP to learn conservative and effective techniques to decrease the frequency of bathroom trips with bladder training.

LEARN about your pelvic floor and what to do for your floor to improve your overall bladder/pelvic health. Invest in your own quality of life and get evaluated by a women’s health Physical Therapist. Everyone’s body and symptoms are different. Learn specific techniques for you to stretch and/or strengthen your pelvic floors muscles. There’s more to pelvic floor happiness than just Kegels.

Tips courtesy of Jane Quach, Doctor of Physical Therapy. Learn more about Jane and her work below or at janequachpt.com