What Is the Coloplast Virtue Revolution

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

The Coloplast Virtue is a specialized treatment for incontinence. Incontinence management is a major issue for men today. Not only are individuals over the age of 40 dealing with this problem, but even younger people may have to contend with the symptoms. Other causes of urinary incontinence include medications, enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, kidney stones and brain disorders.

If you are suffering from incontinence, then you will probably hear mostly of treatments that involve artificial urinary sphincters. Some doctors recommend implanting these devices in patients as a means to control the symptoms. Men manipulate the device in order to urinate. The Coloplast Virtue is an alternative to the common treatment.

What is this product exactly? It is a sling that elevates and compresses the urethra in order to create urination. While this isn’t the first product of its kind, it is the first one to show progress in the way of treating patients with severe urinary incontinence.

It’s important to understand why incontinence occurs in the first place. It usually happens when pressure is increased in a man’s abdominal area. Whenever a man laughs, coughs, or sneezes, this can increase abdominal pressure. If a man undergoes treatment to remove part or all of his prostate gland (as a result of prostate cancer), then incontinence is a common symptom.

The Coloplast Virtue “revolution” is a treatment that realigns the urethra so that it takes its natural spot. Since the urethra is now in the same place as it was before the surgery, some of the natural structure of the urinary tract can be repaired. The closer to natural that your body is, the greater control you will have over all bodily functions.

The sling can be a permanent solution to incontinence, not just a temporary fix. Is any surgery involved? Only minor surgery is required. Basically, the sling is implanted inside your body through a tiny incision. The arms of the Coloplast Virtue are inserted into your body’s tissue. At this point, scar tissue forms and holds the piece in its place.

Obviously, this device is not a cure for incontinence. It is a tool that can help manage the problem, and control symptoms. Studies have shown that men with this problem, even severe cases, have responded favorably to the “sling.” The Coloplast Virtue offers a degree of freedom back to men recovering from prostate cancer and other illnesses. Sometimes the worst thing taken from us when we undergo illness is our freedom. With such a helpful device, you can get a portion of your wonderful freedom back!

The Coloplast Virtue Offers a Revolutionary Treatment for Male Incontinence

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

When it comes to male stress incontinence, options for patients have long been notoriously limited. Surgical treatments have a surprisingly dismal success rate, often providing only temporary relief from symptoms. For many men, age and health factors make surgery too risky for doctors to be willing to do it. Outside of surgery, the only option for many men is to use adult diapers and to rely on incontinence pads when sitting or lying down. These are certainly not the options that men are hoping for, but the new Coloplast Virtue may well be the device that changes everything.

The Coloplast Virtue is something different in every respect. For starters, it is the first device to rely on elevation and compression alike to help alleviate symptoms. The Virtue is a urethral sling that is designed to keep the urethra in its proper position, while also providing the resistance needed to prevent unwanted urine leakage. Another thing that helps to set the Virtue apart is that it does not require major surgery. Instead, it can be easily installed in about twenty minutes and requires only a few sutures to hold in place.

These aren’t the only things that make the Virtue unique, however. The Virtue is designed to be a long term treatment for male stress incontinence, something patients have long been looking for. As the area around the arms of the sling heal, scar tissue forms to hold them permanently in place. This creates a permanent base for the sling so that the urethra will always retain its correct position. Unlike other treatments, the Coloplast Virtue is also designed to treat mild to severe cases of incontinence with equal success rates. For men who have been told that there is no hope for their incontinence, this is certainly welcome news.

While there is no “cure” for male stress incontinence, the Coloplast Virtue is proving to be an excellent treatment. Many men find that it allows them to regain the ability to fully control their urine output. For others, it allows them to engage in activities that incontinence once prevented by greatly reducing the frequency and output of urine leaks. No matter how severe or mild your case may be, it is worth your time to speak with your doctor about the Virtue. This is certainly a revolutionary treatment for incontinence, and it may well be the best treatment for you or someone you love.

Simple Pelvic Exercises may Help Reduce Male Urinary Incontinence

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Men who are dealing with stress urinary incontinence may be advised to make behavioral and lifestyle changes as part of treatment. Losing weight, restricting foods and beverages that may irritate the bladder and quitting smoking are some of the changes your physician may recommend.

Many doctors recommend incontinence patients start exercising. In addition to regular exercise, patients may be advised to try special pelvic exercises to help reduce incontinence. These are called Kegel exercises, and they are specifically designed to strengthen the muscles located around the bladder opening.

The specific muscle Kegel exercises strengthen is called the pubococcygeus muscle or PC. This muscle stretches from the pubic bone to the tailbone. It supports the pelvic organs and contributes to the function and control of the sphincter muscles. Whether these exercises help control urinary incontinence or not, they are safe to perform regularly.

In order to do Kegel exercises, you must be able to locate your PC muscle. The easiest way to do this is during urination. When urinating, try to stop. The muscle you use to do so, or feel tightening when you stop urination, is your PC muscle.

To exercise the PC muscle, "squeeze" it, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, and then release tightening. Repeat the pattern ten times. This is the slow Kegel exercise. Another option is the quick Kegel, where the muscles are rapidly squeezed and relaxed. Men should be able to feel the testicles lift when this exercise is performed correctly and may even be able to see this lift happen with practice.

You can gradually increase the frequency and intensity of the exercises over time. Each week you may increase the number of "sets" of contractions and relaxations you perform. You could also increase the amount of time you hold or squeeze each contraction.

Since Kegel exercises require no special equipment or preparation, it is simply a matter of remembering to work them into your daily routine to start experiencing benefits. Most men experience improvement in urinary incontinence within about 4 to 6 weeks of starting Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises are easy to do and it takes just a few minutes of time to perform them daily. Some men find these exercises are very helpful at treating incontinence. They are able to avoid having to take medications by performing them.

Unfortunately, pelvic exercises aren’t effective in all cases of stress urinary incontinence. In more persistent leakage cases, very effective surgical implants, such as the Coloplast Virtue, may eliminate male urinary continence long term.

Manage Incontinence with the Coloplast Virtue

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Male incontinence is one of the most embarrassing things for men to deal with. In fact, many men have an easier time talking about impotence than they do incontinence. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common problem among men. It can come about for many different reasons, but one of the more common is that a man has had part or all of his prostate gland removed.

When the prostate gland is removed, the entire anatomy of a man changes. The urethra that carries urine from the bladder and gets rid of it shifts down. There is less pressure on it, as well. Because of this, men often experience stress urinary incontinence. Basically, when they sneeze, laugh, or otherwise put pressure on the bladder with a movement of the abdomen, urine leaks out of the bladder through the urethra. This type of incontinence can be particularly difficult to deal with, and many of the solutions for it include major surgery that has long-term recovery times.

Other solutions for stress incontinence involve implanted objects near the urethra. These solutions can be successful, but they can also be frustrating. Many of them include devices that have to be manipulated before urination can take place. This can make the process of using the restroom long and uncomfortable.

A newer solution for stress urinary incontinence for men is the Coloplast Virtue. This particular device involves neither major surgery nor long recovery times. It also doesn’t have to be manipulated to use, so it still makes urination simple and natural.

Basically, this small object looks like a T. It has a sling in the middle, and it is implanted underneath the urethra where the prostate gland once was. The sling holds up the urethra and puts it back into a more natural situation. It also adds some pressure to the urethra. In this way, the Virtue does what the prostate gland once did. It helps to add the pressure to the urethra and to keep it from caving in.

The Coloplast Virtue has been proven to be an excellent solution for male stress incontinence. It works well, and it goes in with a short outpatient surgery from which recovery is quick and simple. Instead of having to deal with incontinence by staying at home, wearing special pads, or other embarrassing solutions, this solution for urinary incontinence allows men to regain control of their lives.

Incontinence Solutions after Prostate Surgery

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Prostate surgery has saved the lives of many men, but it can leave behind an embarrassing and disheartening problem. When the prostate is removed, the urethra is no longer held in place, which can lead to male incontinence. Men who have survived the dangers of cancer find that they still do not want to leave the house, for fear of suffering a mortifying accident. This can lead patients to feeling socially withdrawn and even mild depression. In many cases, it can also lead to a lack of intimacy with loved ones.

There have been surgeries that could rectify the situation, but most men do not want to undergo another major surgery so soon after prostate surgery. To make matters worse, the success rate for these corrective surgeries is not very high. Many patients opt out of another surgical procedure and, instead, undergo intense physical therapy to retrain muscles for better bladder control. Even so, incontinence pads and adult diapers are likely necessary, which prompts men to stay home, rather than be seen in public with protective garments.

Fortunately, there is a new solution that requires minimal surgery and absolutely no protective pads. The Coloplast Virtue is a tiny sling that is inserted through a very small incision. Once in place, the scar tissue actually heals around it, which keeps the little sling secure. It will then hold the urethra in place, right where it is supposed to be. This takes the pressure off of the patient by allowing for normal bladder control. The Coloplast Virtue requires no manipulation for urination, which sets it further apart from other solutions on the market. The recovery time for this surgery is minimal, with almost all patients returning to a completely normal life within less than six weeks. There is no need to worry when dancing, laughing, coughing, or exercising, because the Coloplast Virtue will take care of the problem.

Of course, this is still a relatively new procedure, but the Coloplast Virtue is showing a lot of promise. As far as any other incontinence solutions, the Coloplast Virtue is really the first viable option for a long-term remedy. If you, or someone that you know, are dealing with embarrassing male incontinence, then it is time to do a bit of research. Talk to your doctor as soon as possible, because life is short. It’s time to get your life back on track and start enjoying the same everyday activities you always did.