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Incontinence

 

There are a lot of factors that can cause incontinence in both men and women, including childbirth, abdominal weakness, diabetes, prostate problems and more. Physical therapy can help with proper diagnosis and treatment of incontinence and bladder issues.

What causes incontinence?

Incontinence affects women twice as much as men, but overactive bladder, bladder leakage and related issues can happen to anyone. The most common cause of incontinence is trauma to pelvic floor muscles. For women, this can occur during pregnancy or after childbirth. Men are more likely to develop incontinence after having their prostate removed due to prostate cancer.

There are several kinds of incontinence:

  • Stress incontinence – leakage of urine that is preceded by increased pressure in your abdomen, such as a cough or a sneeze, lifting something heavy, jumping, or other physical activity.
  • Urge incontinence – leakage of urine due to a muscle spasm or dysfunction in your bladder that causes a strong, sudden urge to urinate.
  • Mixed incontinence – when you leak from both stressors and urges, you have mixed urinary incontinence. Women are especially likely to have a mix of bladder control problems.

Two other common bladder issues may not seem like bigger health problems, but are:

  • Urinary urgency – a strong, sudden urge to use the bathroom without any warning beforehand.
  • Frequent urination – normal urination is going anywhere between four and six – even up to eight times – in a 24-hour period. At night, you should be able to sleep through the night without having to get up, maybe once to pee. If you are waking up more than once a night or are urinating more often than every two hours, that is high frequency.

How can physical therapy help incontinence?

Physical therapy is a conservative treatment for urinary incontinence and other bladder issues, which can include:

  • Behavior modification or bladder training exercises.
  • Pelvic floor exercises, such as Kegels.
  • Electrical stimulation.
  • Core, hip and pelvis strengthening.
  • Improving posture.

In 95% of cases, pelvic floor physical therapy has made a difference in people dealing with incontinence and bladder issues. If you or someone you know suffers from incontinence or bladder issues, schedule with our pelvic floor physical therapy specialists online or by calling 515.875.9706.