Urinary Incontinence
Condition Overview
Urinary incontinence refers to an involuntary loss of urine. There is a variety of urinary incontinence including stress, urge, mixed, passive or functional incontinence.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs when there is an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) that the pelvic floor is not able to withstand or manage. Activities that cause an increase in IAP are coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, and lifting or carrying heavy objects.
Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is when urine leaks with a sudden and strong urge to urinate and the inability to make it to the toilet in time. Mixed urinary incontinence includes both stress and urge incontinence.
Passive urinary incontinence is when you are unaware that you are leaking urine.
Functional urinary incontinence is when your bladder is working normally but you are unable to get to the toilet due to a disability.
Possible Causes:
There are a variety of causes for incontinence including weakness or tension in the pelvic floor muscles, pelvic organ prolapse, pregnancy, postpartum, constipation, or an overactive bladder.
Many people think if they are leaking urine they need to do kegels 24/7, but this is not necessarily the case! A lot of times, people who have urinary incontinence actually have overactive pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. In this case, we would not want to do kegels to improve the incontinence - this would make it worse! If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, it is vital that you receive a pelvic floor assessment to understand the root cause of leaking, and treat that.
What to Expect in PT?
Good news - we can treat this! You don’t have to live with urinary incontinence, whether you’re a new parent or an active adult! In pelvic floor physical therapy, you can expect an external low back, hip, diaphragm, and abdominal assessment as well as an external and internal pelvic floor muscle assessment. We will test your strength, endurance, functional movement, and coordination. We will determine which systems are involved with your incontinence and give you a treatment plan based on this. Some treatment options can include education on bladder and bowel health, pressure management strategies, pelvic floor stretches, pelvic floor, core, and hip strengthening, diaphragmatic breathing exercises, and functional mobility.