Understanding Incontinence
Urinary incontinence has a reputation of being something only little old ladies have. Urinary and fecal incontinence is considered abnormal (or a dysfunction) from children with bed wetting to young women who leak while they run to men with prostate issues. Loss of urine or bowel is never considered normal at any age or with any gender. And while more women than men are affected, men can have urinary problems too, especially after prostate surgery. Fortunately, there are many treatments for urinary incontinence. Behavioral treatment. Some people with urinary incontinence may get relief by making simple lifestyle changes. If you have stress incontinence, for instance, in which you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh, your physical therapist may teach you to strengthen and coordinate your pelvic floor as well as surrounding muscles to support the area when there is increased abdominal pressure, such as when you cough. If you have urge incontinence, in which you get the sudden urge to urinate and can’t always make it to the bathroom in time, your physical therapist may tell you to avoid spicy foods, caffeine, and carbonated drinks, because they can irritate the bladder and make the problem worse. Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, known as Kegels, can sometimes help
people with stress incontinence. With urge incontinence the focus may be on relaxing the pelvic floor and belly breathing to decrease the sudden urge to urinate or defecate. Kegels are not always the answer. Sometimes, Kegels are combined with biofeedback techniques to help you know if you are doing the exercises properly. For urge incontinence, bladder training, sometimes called bladder retraining, can also help. This involves gradually increasing the interval time between trips to the bathroom, working up to longer and longer intervals between bathroom stops. Devices and absorbent products. Protective pads and panty liners can help avoid embarrassing situations. A pessary, a plastic device inserted into the vagina, may help prevent urine leakage by supporting the neck of the bladder; it is most useful for stress incontinence. Mild to moderate cases of common types of incontinence can be cured or greatly improved by behavioral or exercise therapy. We can also teach you habits and techniques to reduce urgency and urge incontinence (or leaking with a strong urge on the way to the bathroom). Even periodic incontinence is not something you have to deal with. We can help!
If you’re wanting to improve your incontinence, call us at 866.320.3562 or visit achieve-therapy.com today!
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