6 Exercises for Incontinence to Reduce Leaks and Improve Bladder Control
Learn about exercises for incontinence, recommended by pelvic floor therapists to help reduce leaks and improve bladder control.
Table of Contents
Some people leak when they sneeze (known as “peezing”). Others dribble mid-jog. And sometimes the urge comes so fast and furious that, despite your fastest dash, you don’t make it to the bathroom in time and pee your pants. It’s embarrassing. It’s frustrating. And you’d like nothing more than to take back control of your bladder.
Involuntary urine leakage is called urinary incontinence — a condition that affects more than 60% of women. It’s that common. But common doesn’t mean it’s normal, nor is urinary incontinence something you just have to live with. There are solutions. In fact, in many cases, pelvic floor exercises can help reduce symptoms of urinary incontinence and improve bladder control.
Read on to learn which pelvic floor exercises can help treat urinary incontinence in women, and lifestyle strategies to help reduce your risk and manage symptoms.
Our Hinge Health Experts
Samantha Charlotin, PT, DPT
Tamara Grisales, MD
Bonnie Whiting, PT, DPT
6 Best Exercises for Incontinence
Fully Covered Pelvic Care
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →Also known as deep belly breathing, slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing can help lengthen your pelvic floor muscles so they remain strong and flexible.
How to do it:
Start by lying on your back with your knees bent. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach.
Breathe in slowly through your nose, counting to five as you inhale. You should feel your chest and stomach expand up and out into your hands while your diaphragm and pelvic floor descend.
Relax your jaw and exhale slowly through your mouth, counting to five as you release your breath. You should feel your chest and stomach deflate and return to their original position while your diaphragm and pelvic floor rise back up.
Read more about diaphragmatic breathing.
2. Hooklying Kegels
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →Hooklying Kegels are one of the best ways to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, improve bladder and bowel control, and provide support to organs in your pelvis. How to do it:
On a yoga mat, lie comfortably on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Slowly contract your pelvic floor muscles by gently squeezing the muscles around your vagina and anus. It might feel like your muscles are gently being pulled up and into your body. You are using the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine or prevent yourself from passing gas.
Slowly release the contraction by relaxing your muscles.
This simple movement strengthens the core and buttocks muscles, which in turn strengthens and supports the pelvic floor. Bridge exercise is a great way to coordinate your breathing with your pelvic floor, core, and lower body muscles. How to do it:
On a yoga mat, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Tighten your glutes (butt muscles) and push through your feet to raise your hips off the floor. Hold this position as you continue to squeeze your glutes.
Lower your hips back to the floor.
4. Abdominal Bracing with Heel Slide
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →This exercise involves tensing the muscles in your core to help strengthen deep core muscles, which supports the stabilization of the pelvis. How to do it:
On a yoga mat, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Tighten your abdominal muscles while breathing comfortably. Then slowly slide one of your heels along the floor and away from your body. Focus on keeping your abdominal muscles engaged as you hold this position. Return to the starting position.
Repeat with your other leg by sliding your heel away from your body. Hold and then return to the starting position.
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5. Kegel Chair Squat
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →Keeping pelvic floor muscles both strong and flexible helps support bladder and bowel function. Kegel chair squats challenge your pelvic floor and lower body muscles, which work together to support you as you move through the day. How to do it:
Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet on the floor directly underneath your knees.
Inhale deeply, then exhale as you press into your feet to stand tall. As you stand, lift and engage the muscles between your pubic bone and tailbone — imagine you’re using those muscles to pick up a blueberry or suck a milkshake up a straw.
Inhale as you return to sit, and fully relax your pelvic floor muscles.
This strengthening exercise targets deep core muscles, which help stabilize your pelvic floor.
How to do it:
On a yoga mat, lie on your side while using your arms or a pillow for head support.
Stack your hips and knees on top of each other while bending your knees toward your chest.
Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee toward the ceiling as high as you feel comfortable without rotating in your low back. Hold this position.
Relax your top knee back to the starting position.
Read more about the clamshell exercise.
The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.
Benefits of Exercise for Urinary Incontinence
Often, urinary incontinence is related to issues with the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that stretches like a hammock from your pubic bone in the front to your tailbone in the back. It helps hold pelvic organs in place, such as your bladder and rectum, and plays a role in bladder control, bowel control, and sexual health.
Dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles can affect your bladder and urethra, and may contribute to different types of incontinence. For example, weakened pelvic floor muscles may lead to stress incontinence — that’s when you leak from pressure exerted on your bladder, such as from a cough or sneeze, or while jogging or lifting. If your pelvic floor muscles are too tight, or hypertonic, it may contribute to urge incontinence, a type of incontinence that causes a sudden, urgent need to pee — often followed by an accidental leak. Other causes of incontinence may include lifestyle habits, underlying health conditions, or physical problems.
When problems with your pelvic floor muscles contribute to incontinence, exercise therapy can help. Depending on the causes of your incontinence, a pelvic floor physical therapist (PT) can recommend exercises that can help strengthen weakened pelvic floor muscles or stretch (aka “lengthen”) muscles that are too tight.
A physical therapist will also address other musculoskeletal issues that affect incontinence. Pelvic muscles work closely with the muscles in your hip, core and lower back. Weakness in any of those areas can cause your pelvic floor muscles to compensate, which can lead to tension and tightness. Exercises that strengthen the hips, core, and lower back may help pelvic floor muscles relax and function at their best to help relieve incontinence. Urinary incontinence isn’t always preventable, but exercise can help relieve symptoms and reduce the number of involuntary leaks.
You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Incontinence
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a comprehensive treatment that may include exercise, relaxation techniques, behavioral training, lifestyle modifications, biofeedback training, and more.
To help ease symptoms of urinary incontinence, physical therapists may recommend:
Exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor, such as Kegel exercises. Strong pelvic floor muscles can minimize or prevent bladder leaks and give you better control over urination by helping you become more aware of the muscles and how to use them. Note that Kegels are not the cure-all for every urinary problem: If your pelvic floor is too tight, strengthening exercises can make some urinary problems worse. PTs will help you lengthen or stretch these muscles first, before you strengthen them.
Engaging your pelvic floor when coughing, sneezing, or lifting to reduce stress on your pelvic floor muscles and help prevent leaking.
Breathing and relaxation exercises to help manage stress, which can decrease feelings of urgency.
Bladder retraining and urge suppression techniques that focus on the body-brain connection in urinary urgency to help improve bladder control.
More Ways to Improve Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence isn't always preventable. But you can take steps to help decrease your risk, such as:
Engage in healthy toilet habits. Don’t “hover” over the toilet seat to urinate or delay bowel movements. Avoid straining or bearing down if you’re constipated.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Avoid or limit intake of bladder irritants.
Eat more fiber, which can prevent constipation.
PT Tip: Stay Hydrated
“Many people think that drinking less water can help reduce leaks,” says Samantha Charlotin, PT, DPT, a Hinge Health pelvic floor physical therapist. In fact, the opposite is true. Limiting your fluid intake can actually make bladder problems worse, she explains. “When you’re dehydrated, your urine becomes more concentrated with waste products, which can irritate the lining of your bladder and increase feelings of urgency,” she notes. To help ease symptoms, stay well hydrated. Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
How Hinge Health Can Help You
If you have pelvic pain or symptoms that are affecting your quality of life, you can get the relief you've been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.
The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you. Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.
See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.
This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.
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References
Bladder Control Problems (Urinary Incontinence) | NIDDK. (2021, July). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/bladder-control-problems
Cho, S. T., & Kim, K. H. (2021). Pelvic floor muscle exercise and training for coping with urinary incontinence. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 17(6), 379–387. doi:10.12965/jer.2142666.333
Subak, L. (2002). The effect of behavioral therapy on urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled trial. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100(1), 72–78. doi:10.1016/s0029-7844(02)01993-2
Todhunter-Brown, A., Hazelton, C., Campbell, P., Elders, A., Hagen, S., & McClurg, D. (2022). Conservative interventions for treating urinary incontinence in women: an Overview of Cochrane systematic reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022(9). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012337.pub2