Women’s Health Foundation (WHF) announced the long-term results of a recent research study to evaluate the groundbreaking exercise and educational program, Total Control®: A Pelvic Wellness Program For Women. The results showed both an initial and long-term improvement in symptoms of bladder control and strength of orgasms, according to Loyola University Medical Center researchers. Women who completed an 11-week, twice weekly class initially reported improvement in both symptoms of bladder control and quality of life. These results reported at the one year follow up mark reflect the findings of improved bladder control and improved sexual function in women. Women in the study reported sexual function improvement in the form of stronger orgasms and an increase in overall sense of well-being. Again, these factors held constant one year following the study’s conclusion.
The Total Control® program was developed by a group of exercise physiologists, general and pelvic physical therapists, nurse practitioners, and physicians, including urogynecologists, and urologists.
Through education and specific exercises, Total Control® instructors train each client to strengthen her “Pelvic Pyramid,” a triad of muscles that control bladder function.
“What is important about these results is that they are coming from an exercise program, not “medical treatment”, yet we are still talking about a powerful effect on the lives of women with pelvic symptoms like urinary incontinence,” says Loyola University Medical Center urogynecologist Dr. Linda Brubaker, a WHF Advisory Board member and the Principal Investigator of the study. “We have an opportunity to mobilize the millions of women suffering in silence with these embarrassing conditions into a community-based fitness and educational program where they can learn and move in a manner that might bring them relief, whether or not they are in our patient population,” Brubaker adds.
The Total Control® program was created by WHF in 2004 with the goal of using exercise and education to improve symptoms of bladder control. The program is offered in medically based wellness centers, YMCAs and private gyms. The Foundation trains instructors to teach and licenses facilities to run Total Control® classes.
“Our mission with Total Control® is to create ‘Pelvic Floor Evangelists,’’” says WHF Founder and Executive Director Missy Lavender. “Women need to be energized about their pelvic health and fitness and feel inspired to go out and talk about what they have learned. It is the best way to reach that sisterhood of silence.” Lavender declares. “We want women to understand the power of the pelvis, which is the very center of their bodies, and to teach them to activate the deep structural and postural muscles there. By learning how to energize these muscles before they do other functional moves and exercises, they experience what we call fitness from the inside, out.”
To secure additional information or Total Control® program locations, please visit www.totalcontrolprogram.com.
