Incontinence. No one likes to talk about it. The embarrassment, constant fear of accidents and the loss of control ...

Bladder control problems can dominate every aspect of a person's life, causing severe social, psychological, emotional and economic damage. In older adults, incontinence is the number one cause for transition from assisted living facilities to nursing homes.

We tend to think of incontinence as a natural, and inevitable, part of the aging process. Yet bladder control problems affect millions of Americans -- of all ages:

• 1 out of 3 women over the age of 65
• 1 out of 4 women between the ages of 30 and 59
• 1 out of 3 women who give vaginal birth
• 1.5 out of 10 women under the age of 25
• 1 out of 3 men who have had prostate surgery

Bladder and bowel control problems are not a natural consequence of aging and you don't have to live with them. You can regain control. Without surgery, drugs or side effects. At Central Park West Rehabilitation Center we use behavior modification and interactive muscle training techniques known as biofeedback to teach you how to isolate and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Our Healthy Bladder program is the comprehensive, conservative therapy program for treating both urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic pain and other disorders. This clinically proven treatment utilizes biofeedback techniques for rehabilitation of your pelvic floor muscles. Healthy Bladder has an 87% success rate and our patients learn to control leakage -- often in just 6 to 8 sessions.

The use of the Kegel exercise is an important feature in incontinence treatments. However, doing Kegel exercise correctly is difficult for many people. Biofeedback helps by focusing your efforts, helping you to isolate the pelvic floor musculature, and giving you a visual and audible goal to aim for. The Healthy Bladder program follows the behavioral treatment protocol recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service and has been endorsed by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) as being safe, effective and low risk.

Central Park West Rehabilitation Center was the first rehabilitation facility in Northwest Ohio to offer biofeedback for treatment of incontinence. We are the only rehabilitation center offering the Healthy Bladder program to incontinence sufferers in our area.

Incontinence can be prevented and if it does occur can, in most cases, be treated successfully. Yet without treatment, the condition will worsen over time. Participation in the Healthy Bladder program requires a physician referral and is covered by most major insurers, including Medicare.

Central Park West Rehabilitation Center provides FREE, confidential consultations for anyone considering treatment for bladder control problems. For more information call Cindy Binkley, RKT, at
(419) 841-9622.