May 8, 2009
Managing urinary incontinence
Editor’s note: The following article was provided by Trista Neisen in the Marketing and Public Relations Department of St. Mary’s Medical Center, Evansville.
Do you wet your pants when you sneeze or laugh too hard? Are you spending more time in the bathroom than in the family room because of frequent urination? Do you wear a pad “just in case?” If so, you may be one of the estimated 11 million women with urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence means that you lose urine when you don’t want to. For many people with this ailment it is an uncomfortable, embarrassing problem that they avoid discussing — even with their healthcare provider. The truth is, there’s no need to feel this way. With the right type of treatment, bladder control can be within your control.
Although incontinence is not necessarily a natural part of aging, it can be the result of many years of changes in your body, especially in women. Childbirth, improper lifting of heavy objects, chronic constipation, menopause — all can lead to a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and lead to poor bladder control.
The first, and often hardest, step in treating your urinary incontinence is to discuss the problem with your healthcare provider. Get a thorough examination to rule out any medical conditions that may be causing the lack of bladder control.
Proper treatment and preventative measures by a physical therapist are one way urinary incontinence can be managed and controlled. By using a variety of methods to help correct pelvic floor weakness, physical therapy can alleviate the conditions leading to loss of bladder control.
Treatment may include:
- Education about the bladder, pelvic floor muscles and normal emptying techniques
- Bladder retraining and timed schedules for urinating
- Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
- Vaginal weights to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
- Medication to treat infection, replace hormones, stop abnormal bladder muscle contractions or tighten sphincter muscles
- Dietary modifications
- Neuromuscular education, or biofeedback
- Electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles