Physical Therapist Pat Smedsrud and Occupational Therapist Lori Mulder recognized the problem among some of their patients and developed a program aimed at treating the disorder with exercises, rather than medicine or surgery.
"Sometimes I think women ignore this problem and use a pad in their underwear and think it's a normal part of aging," Smedsrud said.
She said incontinent people often avoid social functions and give up physical exercise for fear their bladder may leak. A sneeze or cough can be disastrous for some.
"It can be stopped, and we're trying to tell people, why not try exercises versus other options?" Mulder said. "It's effective for 90 percent of the people who try it."
The exercises Smedsrud and Mulder recommend are the same ones recommended for new mothers recovering from delivery. Called "Kegels," the exercise is performed by contracting the muscle that would be used to stop the flow of urine midstream.
While that's the best way to describe the exercise, Smedsrud and Mulder caution never to actually do it while urinating, because it can exacerbate a urinary incontinence problem.
The exercise can be done any time, anywhere. "Driving is an excellent time to do them," Smedsrud said. "Or while you're standing doing dishes."
According to the Center for Bladder Control, 5 percent of men between 15 and 64 years old are affected by urinary incontinence, and up to 30 percent of women in that age group suffer from the disorder.
An estimated 50 percent of elderly suffer from urinary incontinence. More than 43 percent of elderly women and nearly 21 percent of elderly men are affected.
Direct medical costs of urinary incontinence in 1994 was $16.4 billion, and adult diapers sales were projected to exceed $2 billion in 1999.
Luverne Community Hospital's prenatal program already encourages new mothers to get their pelvic muscles back in shape with Kegel exercises.
But Smedsrud and Mulder know countless other men and women (often seniors) are also suffering and may not be aware there's something they can do about it.
That's why they asked local physicians to refer patients to their new program. "We're expecting quite a few referrals," Smedsrud said.
"Once the issue is out in the open and people are willing to talk about it, we will probably be pretty busy," Mulder said.
For starters, they want to encourage people to seek help from their doctors. "We're trying to get women - and men - to understand it's a problem that can be fixed," Mulder said.
Once patients are referred to a therapist, the program starts with an evaluation to see how serious the condition is. "For example, getting up five to six times a night is not normal," Mulder said.
In addition to the questioning process, some patients may be evaluated with a bio-feedback electrode that senses muscular activity and can stimulate activity if there is none.
When therapists determine a patient can be helped by Kegels, treatment (which is covered by Medicare) is simple, Mulder said.
"It doesn't take a lot of treatment sessions at all," she said, adding that it's important patients understand the proper way to perform the exercise. "Our goal is two to five sessions."
The long-term success of treatment is up to the patient. "It's something that people need to do the rest of their lives," Smedsrud said. "You can't just fix the problem and it goes away."
People who think they can be helped by the program are encouraged to talk to their doctors about a referral.
For more information about the therapy, call Luverne Community Hospital at 283-2321. The rehabilitation department is extension 229.