Let's Talk About Urinary Incontinence
Have you ever encountered an unexpected bladder leak? If so, you know how it can take you by surprise and negatively impact your self-esteem. Perhaps you now hesitate to engage in the activities you used to love. Relying on pads, avoiding high-intensity exercise, and refraining from the spontaneous joys of life need not be the norm.
Urinary incontinence is any accidental urinary leakage, be it a drop, a dribble, or complete bladder emptying. It’s very common, affecting 1 in 3 women, and can happen to anyone, at any age, whether you’ve had a baby or not.
Urinary incontinence isn’t something you need to learn to live with. Know that you’re not alone, and pelvic floor physiotherapy can help.
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary passing of urine from your bladder. Whether it’s a minor leak or complete bladder emptying, occurs frequently, or hardly at all, it’s still considered incontinence. There are different types of incontinence, the most common being stress, urge, and mixed incontinence.
Stress Urinary Incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary loss of urine that occurs when your pelvic floor is unable to manage an increase in your intra-abdominal pressure, which ultimately presses on your bladder. Common triggers include laughing, coughing, sneezing, running, jumping, and heavy lifting, all of which increase intra-abdominal pressure.
Urge urinary incontinence
Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is the sudden and intense urge to pee and the inability to make it to the toilet in time. This sensation can occur even when the bladder isn’t full. Certain situations may also trigger the intense urge to go, like arriving home, having your key in the door, hearing running water, or being in water.
Mixed urinary incontinence
Mixed urinary incontinence is a combination of stress and urge urinary incontinence.
What causes incontinence?
Your pelvic floor muscles play an important role in supporting your bladder and controlling the sphincters that hold your pee in. Incontinence is a sign that these muscles aren’t functioning well, and may be overactive (high tone), and lack strength or coordination.There are many causes of incontinence including pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, pelvic organ prolapse, constipation, and overactive bladder. While tempting to dismiss occasional bladder leaks, urinary incontinence is a sign of pelvic floor dysfunction and is likely to worsen without treatment.
What can I do to fix it?
Many women think that if they’re experiencing leaks, they need to do kegels, but this is not necessarily the case. A lot of the time, people who have urinary incontinence have an overactive (high tone) pelvic floor, where kegels are likely to worsen symptoms. Every woman is unique, and an individualised approach to treatment is crucial. A specialised pelvic floor physiotherapist can determine the underlying cause of your incontinence and treat that for lasting relief.
Reclaim your control, regain your confidence, and return to the activities you love, leak-free. You can read about what to expect from a pelvic floor physiotherapy session in the FAQ’s here.
