East Morgan County Hospital offers therapy for incontinence
BRUSH, Colo. (June 30, 2009) – With an estimated 13 million Americans experiencing regular incontinence and an additional 7 million who have occasional urine leakage, the subject and solutions to the problem should be explored.
At East Morgan County Hospital’s Alonzo Petteys Rehabilitation Center, people who suffer from incontinence can learn about the condition and ways to treat it.
The average incontinent person spends $1,000 to $3,000 annually for pads and other protective products. This cost seems to pale in comparison to emotional and psychological costs, with people often limiting social outings. As older people become a larger part of the population, the cost of incontinence can be expected to rise.
Typically, incontinence is thought of as involuntary loss of urine, such as with coughing or sneezing. It can also include experiencing an intense or sudden urge to urinate, or urinating more frequently than normal. Incontinence can be caused by any medical condition that affects the nerves, muscles, or the bladder, such as diabetes, stroke, or bladder infection. It can also be caused by weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and excessive relaxation of tissues supporting the bladder, as with multiple pregnancies, poor conditioning, and tissues changes at menopause.
The pelvic floor forms the most inferior primary support for the internal abdominal organs and lumbo-pelvic region of the spine and provides muscle and fascial support for the low back, internal organs of bladder, bowel, and uterus and functional balance during standing and ambulation. “Pelvic rotator cuff” muscles act together with various abdominal and low back muscles, making it not only an integral part of continence, but also for lumbo-sacral function and balance.
The U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recommends a combination of behavioral therapy, bladder training, and biofeedback as the first line of treatment for incontinence. Drug therapy, injection therapy, and surgery are also available and effective if the first line of therapy is unsuccessful.
East Morgan County Hospital offers a physical therapy program aimed at re-educating the pelvic floor and addressing bowel and bladder habits, which has been shown to be effective for many patients and is a more conservative treatment option. The program incorporates new exercises that utilize different muscles and lifestyle changes that can help with bladder health. Kegals do not always work because they are hard for some people to do properly and the number of repetitions is usually unrealistic. Our program strengthens the pelvic muscles with fewer exercises, in less time, and is easier to do. The important thing to remember is that incontinence is treatable.
For more information about this program, please call the Alonzo Petteys Rehabilitation Center at (970) 842-6239.
About East Morgan County Hospital
East Morgan County Hospital in Brush, Colo. is licensed by the state of Colorado and certified by Medicare as a 25-bed critical-access hospital. Designated as a Level IV Trauma Center, East Morgan includes a newly remodeled 24-hour Emergency department with three trauma bays, one surgery suite, one recovery room, one endoscopy room, and one outpatient surgery suite.
