You’re up several times a night. You never stray far from a restroom.
Sometimes, you don’t even want to leave the house.
But you’re not alone. Urinary incontinence affects millions of women
worldwide. The condition often begins during menopause and increases as
one ages. However, it can occur early on, as younger women engaging in
physical activities may also experience incontinence episodes.
Depending on its severity, urinary incontinence can negatively impact quality
of life, psychological health, and functional independence. However, for
those who actively seek treatment and educate themselves, the condition
is manageable.
Understanding Incontinence
There are two main types of urinary incontinence: stress and urge. Stress
incontinence occurs with physical movement or activity that puts pressure
on the bladder, such as coughing, sneezing, bending, lifting, and exercise.
Usually the amount of urine lost is a few drops to a small squirt.
Urge incontinence is a sudden, intense need to urinate that may result
in not getting to the bathroom in time. The amount of urine lost is sometimes
significant. It may involve a trigger stimulus, such as running water.
Urge incontinence is sometimes the result of overactive bladder, a condition
resulting in increased frequency of urination.
Whatever your symptoms, taking control of incontinence starts with a visit
to your doctor. Depending on their findings, the doctor may prescribe
medication or physical therapy, or they may refer you to a urologist for
additional assessment.
Types of Treatment
If physical therapy is recommended, an evaluation of the type of incontinence
will be made, taking into account the amount of leakage, frequency of
urination, pelvic floor strength, and more. Physical therapists will often
recommend keeping a “bladder log” to keep track of frequency
and leakage, as this can be a useful, objective tool in tracking actual
occurrence and resultant changes.
Computerized biofeedback is a modality used by physical therapists to measure
the intensity of the pelvic floor contraction and help women learn to
control and strengthen these muscles. A sensor is applied vaginally that
picks up electrical output from the working muscles. The patient can then
correlate what is seen on the computer screen with what is sensed during
exercise to gain better control of muscles affecting bladder activity.
Take Action
Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare offers skilled pelvic
floor physical therapy specialists, computerized biofeedback, and other
innovative methods to help you with urinary incontinence. For more information,
please call 909/596-7733, ext. 3500.