Incontinence: what it is and the different types

Incontinence is a condition that occurs when there is an involuntary release of urine or fecal matter. It can be very isolating and embarrassing to those who experience it. It is however very common. Incontinence can be caused by a variety of factors, including age, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, prostate surgery, neurological disorders, and more.

There are 2 different types of incontinence and they occur because of different reasons. Therefore determining the type of incontinence you have is key to help manage it.

Urge Incontinence

Urge incontinence is a type of incontinence that occurs when the bladder muscles contract before they should, causing an urgent need to urinate that is difficult to control. With urge incontinence a person would experience a strong urge to go to the bathroom even though the bladder is not full. This type of incontinence can be caused by neurological conditions, bladder irritation, or other medical conditions.

Treatment for urge incontinence

Learning how to retrain your bladder is important with urge incontinence. The bladder is sending a signal to your brain telling it it needs to empty when it is not full. It will continue to do that unless we train it to empty only when it is full. NO MORE just in case peeing! We also want to make sure to decrease anything that could be irritating to the bladder. These are different for everyone (and sometimes there may not be a bladder irritant issue) however determining that is another important factor in treatment. Some potential irritants are coffee and tea, alcohol, tomato based foods and acidic foods. The other big irritant is a lack of fluids. Not drinking anything to make you not go to the bathroom actually has the opposite affect. Non diluted urine is irritating to the bladder.

Stress Incontinence:

Stress incontinence is when the demand on the bladder is increased through impact or abdominal force. The muscular system or strategy is not strong enough to handle the pressure placed on it. Examples of stress incontinence are leaking with running, jumping, sneezing, coughing or speaking.

Treament for stress incontinence

Learning how to make your core canister function properly is key with stress incontinence. Making sure your pelvic floor, abdominal muscles, spine and diaphragm can all work together will decrease excess stress being put down into your pelvic floor. How you breath, where your rib cage and pelvis are positioned as well as how you are performing the activity in which you leak are all part of resolving stress incontinence.

Make your appointment TODAY with a pelvic health physical therapist to not let your bladder dictate what you can and can not do!

If you are currently experiencing any pelvic floor related issues or are unsure if you are please reach out to us either through social media @empowerptandwellness, email: Hello@WeEmpowerPT.com or give us a call or a text at 678-413-5587. You are not alone in what you are experiencing and we would love to help guide you to achieve everything you want!