Urinary Incontinence

What is urinary incontinence?

Also known as a “weak bladder”, there are two main types of urinary incontinence.  Stress urinary incontinence occurs with movements or activities that put pressure on the bladder like jogging, lifting, laughing, or sneezing.  It affects up to one in three women who have had a baby, but also affects women who have never had children.

When leakage occurs with an overwhelming desire to go to the toilet this is called urge urinary incontinence.  Sometimes this strong urge makes you rush to the toilet and then the bladder muscle contracts strongly and causes leakage.

Causes

Leakage of urine could be caused by weak or poorly functioning pelvic floor muscles, drinking too much, or too little fluid, or poor toilet habits.

To reduce or cure your leakage you will require an accurate diagnosis of what type of incontinence you are experiencing and what the causes may be.  Each treatment is individual to you and your circumstances.

How can physio help?

Treatments for people with leakage are varied and there is no “one size fits all” approach.

A common treatment that works for many women is pelvic floor muscle training.

There is a lot of research that supports the use of pelvic floor muscle training as a treatment for people who have stress, urge or mixed urinary incontinence.  This training can decrease or entirely eliminate the amount of urine leaked and/or reduce the number of times a day you experience leakage.    

The way you do the exercises prescribed for you is important, and your pelvic health physiotherapist will help assess your current strength, endurance and where you need to improve.

To book an appointment with our experienced pelvic health physiotherapist, Kathryn Barry, please call 9634 7788.