What is Urinary Incontinence?
There are several types of urinary incontinence, but in general incontinence refers to the leakage of urine at inappropriate times.
- Stress incontinence is leakage of small amounts of urine when there is increased pressure on the bladder. This can happen with exercise or with sneezing, coughing, lifting or other activities.
- Urge incontinence is the leakage of medium to large amounts of urine when a person feels a sudden strong urge to urinate.
- Mixed Incontinence includes symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.
- Functional Incontinence is urine leakage that occurs when a person can not get to the toilet in time.
How can physical therapy help?
Our specially trained physical therapists will evaluate and design a treatment program that is individualized for each patient.
Physical Therapy can:
- Give you control over your life and your bladder
- Save money and embarrassment by allowing less use of pads and undergarments
- Reduce use of medications for incontinence
- Possibly prevent the need for surgery
Physical Therapy Treatment may include
- Education on diet and nutrition to avoid food and drinks that may irritate the bladder
- Advice on how to change behaviors that make symptoms worse
- Techniques to help you find the right muscles and learn to use them correctly
- Pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles
- Exercises to stretch and strengthen other important muscles
- Ways to decrease urinary urge and frequency
- Biofeedback that shows you how your muscles are working
Who Should be Referred to a Women’s Health Physical Therapist?
Those with:
- Trouble leaking urine during normal daily activities
- Urine leakage with sneezing, coughing, or laughing
- Trouble starting the urine stream
- Trouble holding urine when feeling a strong urge to go
- Trouble with frequent urination (more than every 3-4 hours during the day, up more than once to urinate at night)
- Trouble getting to the bathroom because of other problems such as knee or hip pain or balance problems
Contact us for more information or to set up an appointment today!