Gifford Physical Therapy Program
Helps Incontinence Sufferers

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 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 program is led by physical therapists 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.

Dr. Ken Borie, a Gifford family physician, calls incontinence a "huge problem."

"Women in particular don’t like to talk about it as it is embarrassing to them," Dr. Borie says.

The program uses what Hawley and Van Arnam call "biofeedback" from sensors monitoring a patient’s respiration, 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.

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.

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.

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)."

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