Why am I thinking about snow in the middle of summer? You might recall learning in elementary school that the Inuit people had 25 different words for “snow.” Snow, in its various conditions, has a powerful impact on the Inuit way of life. What matters so much to us that we have many different words in our language to say it?
The answer, in my opinion, is “urinating.”
As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I have an interest in this. I treat women and men with bladder and bowel control problems. You don’t have to be a pelvic floor physio to know a lot of words for urinating. You can probably think of half a dozen right now. Urine is pretty important. Specifically, controlling urine is important to us.
Summer is a time for taking a vacation and going on a trip. But for some, travel is out of the question. Those with an overactive bladder know where every toilet is in their part of town. Going to a new city is stressful and impossible for many. “What if I can’t find a toilet in time?” They never forget those embarrassing accidents. A feisty friend, in spite of her bladder control issues, is planning a trip to a developing country soon. Her solution is to take an extra suitcase filled with a month’s supply of incontinence pads, knowing she can’t buy them there.
Incontinence is so common many people think it’s a normal part of aging. It affects one in three women and one in seven men. “I remember my Mom had this problem, so now it’s my turn, right?” commented a patient. Wrong. Incontinence isn’t normal. It’s a symptom that will likely get worse without treatment.
Bladder control isn’t just a problem for the elderly. After having a baby, more than 30 per cent of women experience ongoing problems with urine leakage. Many are frustrated because they can’t jog anymore, or play ball with their children without leaking. Postpartum women are told, “Do your Kegels,” but studies reveal that 40 per cent of women do Kegel exercises incorrectly when taught verbally or read about them.
As a result, many are convinced that Kegel exercises don’t work. A new patient said, “I hope you’re not going to teach me those Kegel exercises. I’ve been doing 200 a day and I’m still leaking.” Her “Kegels” weren’t getting her anywhere because she didn’t have the right technique.
I’d like to see billboards on our main thoroughfares that state: “You don’t need to put up with urine leakage! See a pelvic floor physio today.” This problem can be cured or significantly improved for women and men at any age. A pelvic floor physiotherapist has post-graduate training to treat bladder control problems. She will teach and support the individual in how to regain bladder control. Recently an 89-year-old patient wrote: “Thank-you for giving me back my life.”
No wonder we have so many words in our language for urinating. When we lose control, life isn’t much fun. When we regain it, we get our life back.
Penny Wilson is a physiotherapist at Treloar Physiotherapy Clinic in Kerrisdale ([email protected]).
