How to Improve Bowel & Bladder Control

When people have difficulty with bowel and bladder control, it is called incontinence. This frustrating problem can force them to have to plan their daily activities around being near a bathroom, and to always fear the humiliation of urinating or defecating on themselves in public. Many people feel too embarrassed to seek help with this problem, but it is a problem that can usually be treated with a little knowledge or medical help. If you have a mild case, here are some tips to help improve bowel and bladder control. If you have a more severe case, here are some of the more drastic treatments that your doctor may suggest.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine which type of incontinence you have and its severity. Improving bladder control will require different treatment than improving bowel control, because they are usually caused by completely different problems. Depending on the severity of the problem, different measures may need to be taken. Small problems, such as sudden urges to go to the bathroom, might be corrected with reasonably simple treatments, but a complete inability to hold in waste could require something as drastic as surgery.

• 2

  Perform Kegal exercises to improve bladder control. These exercises target the pelvic floor muscles, which are responsible for holding urine in the bladder. You basically flex the muscles that you use to stop urine flow. If you cannot target these muscles, you can use biofeedback and electrostimulation devices as training aids to help you target and exercise them.

  For improved bowel control, a biofeedback device also may be used. It is inserted into the anus. It registers muscle strength and activity so you can learn how to exercise and strengthen the muscles that control bowel movement.

  These exercises are usually effective at helping people control their bladder and bowels.

• 3

  Change your diet to improve bowel control. If chronic constipation is the problem, drink plenty of fluids and eat fiber-rich foods that don't cause constipation. If diarrhea is the issue, then you should try eating more high-fiber foods, which will cause your stools to be more solid.

• 4

  Consider taking medication if the above techniques have not worked. Some of the medications for bladder incontinence relax the bladder muscles or tighten the urethra and bladder muscles. Medications to improve bowel control include anti-diarrheal drugs, laxatives and stool softeners.

• 5

  Learn about various devices that can be used to help control your bladder without surgery. These devices usually are placed in the penis or vagina and allow the patient to manually control the bladder. Among them are the pessary, the bladder neck support device, the urethral insert and the urine seal.

• 6

  Ask your doctor about surgery if everything else fails to improve your control. For urinary incontinence, some common types of surgery are enlarging the bladder and sacral nerve stimulation. Common types of surgery that your doctor may recommend for bowel control are sphincteroplasty, sphincter replacement and sphincter repair.