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Feature Intro: Optimum Health: What You Need to Know About Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Our physical health plays a huge role in how we age. Good health is often associated with higher quality of life. When we feel good physically, we feel better mentally. Life is just easier when we feel better. Chronic health issues often include pain and lifestyle limitations. We don’t feel well, so getting out is harder to do. We skip lunch with friends. We don’t visit the grandkids. Long car rides can be painful or cumbersome. Pain management can become the focus of the day rather than enjoying the hobbies we once loved: gardening, sports, cooking, socializing and even working. For many, the idea that pain or chronic health issues are simply part of aging is a normal belief. We have seen images of older adults with myriad health issues, and this image has become the norm. We even begin expecting to feel sick, tired or achy as we age. But this expectation doesn’t have to be a reality, and even when we face chronic health issues, there are often answers and solutions we aren’t aware of. Among health issues often untreated, pelvic floor issues affect large numbers of older adults. According to the National Institutes of Health, the frequency of pelvic floor disorders increases with age, and affect as much as 50% of women between the ages of 60 and 80. This means nearly half of all women struggle with pelvic floor issues, many of them untreated and ongoing. It’s not just women who struggle with pelvic floor symptoms. Men often have pelvic floor problems as well. No matter the gender of the patient, treatments are available and information is key.
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ASK THE EXPERT: MEDICALERT AWARENESS FEATURE: OPTIMUM HEALTH: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION FAMILY HISTORY & STORYTELLING: USING GENOGRAMS