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RANDOLPH, Jan. 29, 2008 – Following the birth of her second child in July, Jamie Cushman of Barre found that she could no longer hold her urine. She was wearing a pad and sometimes wasn’t even feeling herself urinate.
“It was too much to deal with,” says Cushman, who sought help from her Gifford obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Gailyn Thomas.
Cushman wasn’t anxious for surgery, she says, so Dr. Thomas referred Cushman to a new option at Gifford – physical therapy for treating urinary and bowel incontinence.
After learning exercises, visual imaging and
calming, and cutting out caffeine, she is
cured. “It actually didn’t take much for me
to get better,” says Cushman, who saw the physical therapists just three times.
Gifford began offering physical therapy for incontinence in November and so far, with Cushman and many others, is seeing outstanding results. Called the Continence Program and offered in a private setting featuring brand new technology, the Physical therapists Faythe Hawley, left, program is led by physical therapists and Connie Van Arnam
Faythe Hawley and Connie Van Arnam.
Incontinence is the loss of control of one’s urine or bowels, or leakage with a cough, sneeze or exercise. It can affect women and men as well as children and be caused by a variety of factors, including childbirth, menopause, an enlarged prostate, diabetes, certain medications and muscle weakness.
Millions of Americans have incontinence, but embarrassment and fear prevent many from seeking help, according to medical professionals like Gifford’s Dr. Ken Borie.
Dr. Borie, a family physician, calls incontinence a “huge problem.”
“Women in particular don’t like to talk about it as it is embarrassing to them. I am so glad we now have this program,” Dr. Borie says.
The program uses what Hawley and Van Arnam call “biofeedback” from sensors monitoring a patient’s respirations, temperature, and muscle tension and functioning to assess the cause of the incontinence and create a treatment plan, which is likely to include education, exercises and relaxation techniques.
“It’s non-invasive,” Van Arnam says of the assessment, which does not include a pelvic exam or even the patient undressing.
Videos are shown to patients so they can better understand how their pelvic muscles function and make exercises more effective. Exercises can include squeezing a ball between one’s legs and then pushing one’s legs out against a band – materials that are currently available to patients at no charge thanks to a grant the program has received from the Gifford Community Health Program.
“This program really promotes walking as a way of strengthening the pelvic floor,” Hawley adds.
Hawley and Van Arnam took special training to be able to offer the program and are seeing some patients who have suffered with incontinence for years. Even those long-time sufferers are getting quick results.
“Our success rate so far is: we’re hitting homeruns. We’re getting people 75 to 100 percent better,” Van Arnam says.
And that can significantly improve patients’ quality of life.
“Incontinence, the inability to hold bladder or bowel function, can cause a serious limitation to individuals’ ability to get out in the community, or even remain in their home independently,” Gifford Rehabilitation Services Manager and physical therapist Eric Medved notes. “Connie Van Arnam and Faythe Hawley have had considerable early success with reducing the need for individuals to void repeatedly throughout the day. This has led to improving people’s ability to live independently, work more productively and enjoy interests and hobbies without concern.”
Curing incontinence also can make a big difference in patients’ wallets. Some women use a dozen or more absorbent pads a day to catch leaking urine. That’s a very expensive way to live, says Nancy Blessing, a certified physician assistant at The Urology Center at Gifford.
Achieving such success is only possible if incontinence sufferers seek help, however.
“People need to take the initiative to talk to their doctor or provider,” Van Arnam says. She tells incontinence sufferers: “Don’t think that it’s something that you have to live with.”
Patients are referred to Gifford’s new Continence Program from their primary care provider, or a specialist such as an urologist or gynecologist like Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas says the Continence Program – as Cushman found – offers an alternative to more invasive surgery.
“We’re having great success with the physical therapists,” Dr. Thomas says. Surgeries to treat incontinence work well for many people and are certainly offered at Gifford. But, says Dr. Thomas, “It’s great when people can avoid surgery by using noninvasive techniques.”
“And it works,” Blessing adds. “With a motivated patient, it really works.
“I’ve had patients who have definitely liked it who have had excellent success.”
Cushman counts herself among the success stories.
“It’s incredible,” she says. “It’s amazing that there’s something out there that you can do (to get better).”