What is good bladder function?
Let's discuss.
Did you know that it is normal to go to the toilet between 5-7 times per day?
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Going too often, just in case or holding on for too long can cause issues!
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Drinking up to 8 glasses of water per day is ideal. If we are dehydrated it can make our urine more acidic which can irritate the bladder
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The bladder stores approximately 300-400ml of urine
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It’s important to have good bladder habits and good pelvic floor function!
Signs and symptoms of bladder issues:
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Do you ever experience urine leakage with a cough, sneeze, jump, change in position or when you laugh?
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Do you ever experience sudden urgency where you are rushing to the toilet?
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Do you get stressed about leaving the house or worry about where the nearest toilet will be?
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Do you have trouble starting or stopping your flow of urine?
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Do you dribble some urine after you have finished?
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Do you feel like you don’t fully empty your bladder sometimes?
How can we help?
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Assessment of your pelvic floor muscles
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Myofascial release to tight pelvic floor muscles
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Treating the fascia (connective tissue) through the abdomen and lower limbs that attach onto the bladder
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Improve the neuromuscular timing of the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor muscles might need to be trained for high load activities such as exercise, running, jumping, coughing or sneezing.
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Treating scar tissue contributing to bladder tension eg Caesarean section, abdominal and perineum scarring
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Visceral treatment to the bladder, it’s attachments and surrounding structures within the pelvis
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Bladder diary - This is a 3 day record of your bladder habits
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Bladder retraining and deferral strategies
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Addressing bladder triggers
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Addressing lifestyle factors such as hydration and removing bladder irritants
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Optimising bowel and bladder health
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Improve breath and pelvic floor connection
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Improve strength of the pelvic floor
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Improve foot and hip strength
Our Osteopaths work very closely with our Exercise Physiologist who is extensively trained in pelvic health. Exercise Physiology helps to integrate your pelvic floor exercises into more functional movements to get you back living a healthier and more independent life!