Are Your Bladder Symptoms Bothersome?
 Ever since I first started treating women's health issues I have been passionate about educating women about how physical therapy can help with leakage, pelvic pain, urgency, frequency, and pain with intercourse. At times I have to remind myself that just because I am passionate about these issues that I can't expect other women to be excited to tell a complete strangers that they pee on themselves when they laugh.
It turns out that bladder control issues is not a topic about which many people want to talk. Research has shown that women wait an average of 7 years before talking to their doctor about bladder control issues, and that only 1 in 5 ever get help at all!
Unfortunately many women feel that urinary leakage is just a natural part of aging. Let me stop right now and say: LEAKING URINE IS NOT NORMAL! So many women suffer with incontinence unnecessarily - they don't seek help, they stop working out, they wear pads, they just live with it.
It is my mission to educate women that they do not have to live with it any more. Apparently I am not the only person with this mission. Pelvic floor conditions have been the topics of some mainstream television shows and magazine articles recently.
If you've noticed that you wet your pants when you workout or you avoid your favorite step aerobics class now, you are not alone. Research studies vary, but statistics show that you may have as much as a 1 in 2 chance of experiencing leakage at some point in your lifetime. The good news is that this same research shows that conservative treatment approaches (ie exercising, changing behavior, and retraining pelvic floor muscles) have been found to be among the most effective treatments for incontinence.
So, maybe I will have to resign myself that many women are not going to be overly excited to talk about their bladder symptoms, but that does not mean that I am going to stop trying. Do not let yourself turn into a statistic. We all should be able lift a baby, jog on the treadmill, or laugh at a good joke without fear of leaking. Treatments are out there you just need to tell someone about your symptoms.
Great Learning Opportunities
The upcoming weeks have some great learning opportunities for various health topics. We hope that you can take advantage of these upcoming events.
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