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Low-Impact pelvic floor exercises and kegels just as good as medication for incontinence, study shows
Urinary incontinence is a completely normal, and yet, devastatingly embarrassing health condition that gets worse with age – thankfully there’s a 90-minute fix and it involves pelvic floor exercises and Kegels.
Health is an ever-expanding subject that plays into our life expectancy and quality, with people constantly on the lookout for how to live longer. It’s never too late to work on your health, though studies do suggest that genetics is the determining factor past 80.
Pelvic floor exercises help with incontinence
Urinary incontinence can strike at any time in your life for a variety of reasons, though it’s most common in those with advanced age. It’s an evolving issue, so it’s best to get a handle on it early.
In a 2024 study, researchers might have found a long-term solution as they looked into the validity of routine yoga classes for Urinary incontinence. Their findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in August.
In the study, participants were sorted into two groups: the first with 121 women doing regular yoga classes, and the second 119 women doing a physical conditioning class.
In the yoga group, the women learned 16 hatha yoga poses designed to strengthen their pelvic floors. They did these activities in two 90-minute sessions a week over 12 weeks. They were also given homework to work on yoga poses outside of the class.
The women in the physical conditioning class, which served as the control group, did two 90-minute sessions a week on nonspecific stretching and strengthening. Again, they were required to do more at home.
Their findings suggested that yoga was just as good as medication
There’s a massive stigma around medication despite the overwhelming amount of research that backs its validity. It turns out, at least where urinary incontinence is concerned, that correct exercises could be just as effective as medication.
After the study, the researchers identified that the yoga group had 65 percent fewer episodes of incontinence. The same could also be said for the control subject, suggesting both sets of exercises were just as good as pills.
Speaking to Women’s Health regarding their study, lead author Alison Huang, MD, explained: “For many women, especially older women, urinary incontinence doesn’t develop because of an isolated problem with the bladder or urinary tract. Instead, a variety of changes in women’s overall physical and mental function can lead to or worsen problems with bladder control.”
There’s good reason to think that pelvic floor yoga, which can simultaneously address all of these factors, may be helpful for women with urinary incontinence that is, if yoga is taught and practiced in the right way,” she added.
