URINARY INCONTINENCE
Find out more about urinary incontinence, types of incontinence, treatment options, and the research:
URGE INCONTINENCE
Urge incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine (wee) associated with urgency (a sudden and strong need to urinate).
FUNCTIONAL INCONTINENCE
Functional incontinence is also known as disability associated urinary incontinence. It occurs when the person's bladder and/or bowel is working normally but they are unable to access the toilet. This may be due to a physical or a cognitive condition.
STRESS INCONTINENCE
Stress urinary incontinence is the leaking of small amounts of urine during activities such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, walking & lifting.
NOCTURIA INCONTINENCE
Nocturia is when you wake up during the night or main sleep time because you have to pass urine (wee). It is a common problem that becomes more common as we get older.
URINARY RETENTION
Urinary retention is the inability to empty the bladder completely. This may result in leaking small amounts of urine (wee) on a regular basis.
POST MICTURITION INCONTINENCE
Post micturition incontinence (commonly known as after-dribble) can occur when men lose a small amount of urine (wee) after emptying their bladder.
“Urinary incontinence is common and can range from the occasional leak when you laugh, cough, sneeze or exercise, to the complete inability to control your bladder. In many cases, urinary incontinence can be treated, better managed and even cured. It is important to talk to your doctor or a continence professional about your symptoms". Continence Foundation of Australia
Incontinence definitions from Continence Foundation of Australia
Urinary Incontinence Treatment Options
Do nothing
Manage symptoms with continence aids.
Non-surgical treatments
Lifestyle changes.
Osteopathy, pelvic floor therapy and pelvic floor exercises - An internal examination can measure pelvic floor strength and from that, we can prescribe an appropriate pelvic floor program.
Other pessary and cream options.
Talk to your doctor or other continence professional about your symptoms.
Surgical Options
Pubovaginal sling.
Transobturator mid-urethral sling.
Urethral bulking agent.
Research
Education
A pelvic muscle precontraction can reduce cough-related urine loss in selected women with mild SUI (often called the knack)
“Within 1 week, selected older women with mild to moderate Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) can acquire the skill of using a properly-timed pelvic floor muscle contraction to significantly reduce urine leakage during a cough.”
One week after learning how to contract their pelvic floor correctly and appropriately during a deep cough 73.3% of women were no longer incontinent and a medium cough 98.2% of women were no longer incontinent.
Miller JM, Ashton-Miller JA, DeLancey JO. A pelvic muscle precontraction can reduce cough-related urine loss in selected women with mild SUI. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998 Jul;46(7):870-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb02721.x.
Hands-on Treatment
Trigger point therapy for Overactive Bladder (OAB)
77 patients with OAB who met inclusion criteria reported their experience with pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) with or without myofascial release as treatment for women with symptoms of urinary urgency or urge incontinence. Among patients who had myofascial release, 84.7% reported improvement when compared to only 27.8% of patients without myofascial release. At least three sessions of myofascial release are recommended for patient reported improvement.
Wolff et al., 2020. Consideration of pelvic floor myofascial release for overactive bladder. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 24(2):144-150. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.10.018.