Stress Incontinence, Kegels, and Holding

Trew
Trew Member Posts: 932 Member
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
I found this link helpful on stress incontinence.

http://www.nafc.org/index.php?page=male-stress-urinary-incontinence

According to this article my old PA may have instructed me incorrectly. He cold me it as like holdingin gas, but this article says the buttocks should not move- that the correct way to strengthen pelvic muscles is like you are trying to hold your urine.

I press on. I do understand rad has interrupted progress on this important part of recovery, but I press on. Surpress on? Hold on?

Ssssshesh, life was so much easier on the other side.

Comments

  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 848 Member
    #2
    trew,
    Read how to do them at
    trew,

    Read how to do them at Dr. Catalona's site.... Kegel Exercises/Sphincter Muscle Exercises under pre surgery section and do them just like he says...I believe that stopping the flow is the most important aspect of this process (it lets you know if you ae doing them right for one)

    Will you provide me in writing the proper way to do kegel exercises post radical prostatectomy?

    There are disagreements about what is the "proper" way. I like to have patients do Kegel exercises by imagining that they are urinating and then contracting the muscles to "cut off" the stream. They should hold it for only a second or two. Then, they should let the muscle rest for 5-10 seconds and repeat the contraction. I advise patients to do a set of 10 contractions four times a day - usually at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed time.

    This allows the muscles to rest between exercise periods so the muscles do not remain in a fatigued state. In addition, I like the patient to actually stop the urinary stream once or twice when urinating to determine whether he is contracting the right muscles. If the stream stops, he is contracting the right muscles.

    Taken together, this leads to about 50 contractions per day. This is like doing 50 pushups a day and will strengthen the muscles if done faithfully. More than 50 contractions may be too much and may leave the muscles fatigued - resulting in worse continence.
  • Trew
    Trew Member Posts: 932 Member
    #3
    bdhilton said:

    trew,
    Read how to do them at
    trew,

    Read how to do them at Dr. Catalona's site.... Kegel Exercises/Sphincter Muscle Exercises under pre surgery section and do them just like he says...I believe that stopping the flow is the most important aspect of this process (it lets you know if you ae doing them right for one)

    Will you provide me in writing the proper way to do kegel exercises post radical prostatectomy?

    There are disagreements about what is the "proper" way. I like to have patients do Kegel exercises by imagining that they are urinating and then contracting the muscles to "cut off" the stream. They should hold it for only a second or two. Then, they should let the muscle rest for 5-10 seconds and repeat the contraction. I advise patients to do a set of 10 contractions four times a day - usually at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed time.

    This allows the muscles to rest between exercise periods so the muscles do not remain in a fatigued state. In addition, I like the patient to actually stop the urinary stream once or twice when urinating to determine whether he is contracting the right muscles. If the stream stops, he is contracting the right muscles.

    Taken together, this leads to about 50 contractions per day. This is like doing 50 pushups a day and will strengthen the muscles if done faithfully. More than 50 contractions may be too much and may leave the muscles fatigued - resulting in worse continence.

    kegel numbers vary greatly
    kegel numbers vary greatly from doc to doc. The PA in the office I just quit wanted me to do 100 kegels a day in sets of ten, ten times a day.

    I have done that many but by his instructions I don't think I was doing them correctly.

    This is very good info- excellent post and very helpful. Thanks
  • randy_in_indy
    randy_in_indy Member Posts: 496 Member
    #4
    Trew said:

    kegel numbers vary greatly
    kegel numbers vary greatly from doc to doc. The PA in the office I just quit wanted me to do 100 kegels a day in sets of ten, ten times a day.

    I have done that many but by his instructions I don't think I was doing them correctly.

    This is very good info- excellent post and very helpful. Thanks

    Annette looked up keggles while at work one day
    because I was getting frustrated that I had not yet been continent - seeing seemingly the whole bunch of guys continent after the cath removal....the article she found indicated you needed to pretend you were urinating naked and someone of high importance of the opposite sex walked in on you......now thats how you do keggles. I just imagined the wife of the owner of my company I work for who also works there and I know pretty well, walked in on me....that worked perfectly for me.
  • Olee
    Olee Member Posts: 97
    #5
    randy_in_indy said:

    Annette looked up keggles while at work one day
    because I was getting frustrated that I had not yet been continent - seeing seemingly the whole bunch of guys continent after the cath removal....the article she found indicated you needed to pretend you were urinating naked and someone of high importance of the opposite sex walked in on you......now thats how you do keggles. I just imagined the wife of the owner of my company I work for who also works there and I know pretty well, walked in on me....that worked perfectly for me.

    A year after surgery I am
    A year after surgery I am pretty dry besides the times I sneeze hard or cough. My doctor has recommended me to a Urology Diagnostic center to assist me with exercises. I'm hoping with their expertise and diagnostic equipment I can tweak the exercises enough to become completely dry.
  • Trew
    Trew Member Posts: 932 Member
    #6
    From Dr. Catalona:
    Kegel Exercises/Sphincter Muscle Exercises


    Will you provide me in writing the proper way to do kegel exercises post radical prostatectomy?
    There are disagreements about what is the "proper" way. I like to have patients do Kegel exercises by imagining that they are urinating and then contracting the muscles to "cut off" the stream. They should hold it for only a second or two. Then, they should let the muscle rest for 5-10 seconds and repeat the contraction. I advise patients to do a set of 10 contractions four times a day - usually at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bed time.
    This allows the muscles to rest between exercise periods so the muscles do not remain in a fatigued state. In addition, I like the patient to actually stop the urinary stream once or twice when urinating to determine whether he is contracting the right muscles. If the stream stops, he is contracting the right muscles.
    Taken together, this leads to about 50 contractions per day. This is like doing 50 pushups a day and will strengthen the muscles if done faithfully. More than 50 contractions may be too much and may leave the muscles fatigued - resulting in worse continence.


    http://www.drcatalona.com/PatientAdvice.asp

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