Incontinence is a common occurrence among pregnant and postpartum women, as well as older adults. It is common to hear it is considered a “normal” part of aging – but it’s not. Women are twice as likely to experience urinary incontinence at some point in their life due to a variety of factors, but men can also be affected. Essentially, incontinence is the loss of urine (even a small amount!) when you are not ready to use the restroom. There are many forms of incontinence, but the two most common are stress and urgency incontinence.
1) Stress Incontinence
This form of incontinence is very common in younger women, often associated with being pregnant or postpartum. It also affects more women experiencing menopause. With this type of incontinence, you have leakage when you cough/sneeze/laugh – essentially any time there is pressure being placed on the pelvic floor.
2) Urgency Incontinence
This form of incontinence often affects older women more than other groups of people. You may have heard this referred to as “overactive bladder”. This form of incontinence is associated with a sudden urge to urinate and is also associated with leakage before you can make it to the bathroom.
3) Mixed Incontinence
Many people experience the above two forms of incontinence together, which is known as mixed incontinence.
What Causes Incontinence?
Incontinence can be caused by many factors, but the main issue is the inability of the pelvic floor muscles to perform their job correctly. This can be due to tightening of the pelvic floor muscles resulting in excess pressure on the bladder OR it can be due to a weakness of the muscles, preventing them from supporting the bladder properly when it fills with urine. In either case, the result is a leakage of urine when it is not supposed to occur.
What can I do about it if I have these symptoms or know someone who does?
There are several specific tests our therapists can do to help you determine what type of incontinence you may have and what the underlying factors are contributing to it. Every presentation is different, so our therapists ensure that your treatment is tailored to your needs. Often the main focus of treatment involves:
Education on how the pelvic floor functions
Ensuring proper mobility of the hips, low back, and pelvic floor muscles and training you on how to relax and activate your pelvic floor muscles properly to decrease incontinence.
Great news! This is an issue that you can improve with the correct diagnosis and treatment. Make an appointment today!
