Urinary incontinence is embarrassing to talk about and hard to admit, but doctors say it can be fixed.
“You don’t need to live your life wearing a diaper all the time,” said Dr. Christopher Hutchison, at Intermountain Healthcare’s Riverton Hospital in Salt Lake City.
He said he often has to go the roundabout way of getting women to talk about their urinary incontinence, but a good percentage of his patients are dealing with it.
“I’d say about 40 percent of them won’t say anything about it if I don’t ask,” he said.
Various types of incontinence — stress incontinence, urge incontinence or a mixture of the two — can be caused by poor genes, weak muscles, unhealthy lifestyles and/or an overactive bladder muscle, among other things. Most commonly, a leaky or bulging bladder has something to do with vaginal prolapse, which is a splitting of the muscles in the vaginal wall, allowing the bladder to sag internally.
Multiple pregnancies, hysterectomy and menopause can also contribute to the causes of female incontinence. However, that is not always the case.
Many women put up with the symptoms, but Hutchison said nearly all types of incontinence can be fixed, resulting in a better quality of life.
“There’s a social stigma associated with incontinence,” Snyder said. Putting up with the symptoms over the years, however, will not cause permanent damage.
Weight loss can sometimes help in the case of stress incontinence, which happens when coughing, sneezing, jogging or other activity leads to a loss of control of the bladder. But oftentimes, women must endure the inconveniences of urine leakage while losing the weight as most types of exercise can spur it on.
Men don’t typically have the same issues with incontinence because their bladder is supported by the structure of the pelvis, Hutchison said.
He hopes women aren’t just living with the constant annoyances incontinence causes, dealing with absorbent pads or diapers. Most cases, he said, can be prevented by “just taking care of yourself.”
Chronic constipation, consumption of caffeinated or carbonated beverages, as well as those with artificial sweeteners, can irritate the bladder, leading to more trips to the restroom and an inability to completely empty the bladder, Hutchison said. Smoking, which breaks down the body’s collagen supply, and chronic coughing that puts stress on muscles can also lead to incontinence
Snyder, a specialist who deals with kidney, bladder and prostate issues, said he’s seen patients ranging from 17 years of age to 81, but urinary incontinence symptoms are most common in women during their late 30s and early 40s.
Achieving normalcy is the goal of any treatment, which can include medications, surgery and nonsurgical procedures.
“The secret is a good relationship between the patient and her doctor,” Snyder said, adding that an open dialogue helps to arrive at the best possible outcomes, which is an informed decision.
Mums ‘need not put up with incontinence’
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Women who have given birth should not view urinary incontinence as an avoidable part of motherhood, it has been claimed.
Noreen Dockery, a chartered physiotherapist who specialises in rehabilitating the pelvic floor, told the Irish Independent that female incontinence is a “very common” problem.
She revealed that a greater number of women are choosing to seek help for incontinence nowadays, but that she still sees patients who wait until their children are teenagers before getting advice.
According to Ms Dockery, it is “far preferential” to deal with post-pregnancy incontinence a few months after a woman has given birth.
“It is hard for women, though, especially with a new baby; but, if it’s left too late, symptoms can deteriorate, especially in menopause when the muscle tone gets more relaxed and hormones are involved,” she explained.
Ms Dockery revealed that one of the goals of physiotherapy for this condition is to lengthen or relax the woman’s pelvic floor muscles so that they are no longer in spasm.
“The pelvic floor muscles are very much connected to the abdominal muscles, and releasing tension here can have a major effect on the tension found in the pelvic floor,” she told the news provider.
“Most patients feel their pelvic floor is weak but in actual fact the resting tension or already elevated tone prevents the muscle from lifting any higher.”
The physiotherapist also emphasised the fact that women with female incontinence should not feel isolated, as many other women suffer from the same issues after having children.
Studies suggest that about 13 per cent of women in the UK are affected by urinary incontinence to some extent, along with five per cent of men.
There are a number of other risk factors for incontinence alongside childbirth, including age, depression and a high intake of caffeine.
Women with overactive bladder may benefit from pilates
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Women with overactive bladder syndrome may benefit from doing pilates exercises that are specifically designed to strengthen the pelvic floor, it has been claimed.
Dr Bruce Crawford, who helps people with urinary incontinence in the US, told KoloTV.com that just one month of pilates for the pelvic floor, or ‘pfilates’, can help people to hold in their urine.
“This is the most successful method of pelvic floor rehabilitation that we’ve encountered,” the expert told the news provider.
Patients are hooked up to a screen while they are performing the exercises, enabling them to visualise the muscles they are working and perfect their technique.
One patient who has benefited from the innovative approach is Karen Carabio, who tried pfilates after her medication stopped working.
She revealed: “It’s been huge to completely avoid surgery and getting away from medication has freed me completely.”
Overactive bladder syndrome is common in the UK, with research cited by Patient.co.uk indicating that as many as one in six adults are affected.
Furthermore, studies show that about one-third of people with an overactive bladder have episodes of urge incontinence.
ACA releases pelvic floor guide for teenagers
Issue Codes Tena Incontinence Products
The Association for Continence Advice (ACA) has published a new leaflet which aims to educate teenagers about their pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor muscles run from the pubic bone at the front to the base of the spine at the back, forming a sling that holds the bladder and urethra in place.
Maintaining strong pelvic floor muscles is important for bladder control, as urine is released when the muscles relax.
A person’s pelvic floor muscles weaken as they get older, increasing the risk of urinary incontinence and causing some people to rely on incontinence supplies, such as Tena Lady for women or Tena Men for those with male incontinence.
Many people do not start exercising their pelvic floor muscles until they are already experiencing stress incontinence.
But experts want to encourage more people to start pelvic floor muscles at an earlier age, thereby reducing their chances of problems in the future.
The new ACA booklet, which is available from the association’s website, is specifically designed to teach teenagers about the importance of maintaining the strength of their pelvic floor muscles.
As well as providing information on the pelvic floor and causes of muscle weakening, the leaflet contains useful tips on how to exercise the pelvic floor muscles to help maintain or restore their strength.
NHS experts advise both men and women to do pelvic floor exercises on a regular basis.
To begin with, people need to learn how to locate their pelvic floor muscles, which can be felt by attempting to stop the flow of urine.
In order to strengthen these muscles, people should squeeze and relax them ten to 15 times, eventually holding each squeeze for a few seconds at a time.
The number of squeezes can be increased each week and people should start to notice the benefits – including improved continence – within months.
Study highlights benefits of conservative treatments for female incontinence
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Conservative treatments, such as pelvic floor exercises and bladder training, are often effective in women with urinary incontinence, a review has shown.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota looked at the findings of previous studies in order to assess the comparative effectiveness of common treatments.
In total, they looked at 97 randomised and 44 non-randomised studies, all of which had analysed the effectiveness of non-pharmacological, conservative treatments for female incontinence.
The researchers found that conservative treatments were more effective than no treatment at all, both for easing urinary incontinence and improving patients’ quality of life.
Pelvic floor muscle training was found to be the most effective method for treating incontinence and improving quality of life.
Bladder training may also provide some benefit, although the treatment does not seem to be as effective as pelvic floor muscle training.
According to the researchers’ analysis, one in three women who undertake pelvic floor muscle training achieves continence.
This compares with one in six women who do both pelvic floor muscle training and bladder training, and one in six who undergo electrical stimulation.
For urge incontinence in particular, one in four women benefit from improvements in their incontinence after undergoing percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, during which a needle electrode is inserted into the leg to deliver an adjustable electrical pulse to the sacral nerve plexus.
The researchers also observed that obese women with urinary incontinence tended to be less reliant on incontinence pads, such as Tena Comfort Plus, if they lost weight.
Presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the International Continence Society, the study authors concluded that pelvic floor muscle training alone or in combination with bladder training, as well as electrical stimulation, “should be first-line treatment choices for women with urinary incontinence”.
They added: “Conservative treatments have an important role in the treatment of female urinary incontinence and should be incorporated into ambulatory care practice settings.”
Physiotherapist discusses exercises for urinary incontinence
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Urinary incontinence is a common problem in the UK, particularly among women.
Research cited by the NHS Choices website suggests that around 13 per cent of women have some degree of female incontinence, which becomes more common as people age.
The vast majority of cases of female incontinence involve stress incontinence – when weak pelvic floor muscles cause urine to leak when the person coughs or laughs – or urge incontinence, in which urine leaks when the person feels an intense urge to pass urine.
There are surgical and pharmaceutical options available, but many women are reluctant to go down these paths without first exhausting other options.
Fortunately, according to American physiotherapist Amanda McCabe, certain exercises can help with female incontinence, enabling women to take control of their condition and be less reliant on products such as Tena Flex Incontinence Pads.
Ms McCabe specialises in treating female urinary incontinence through an exercise regime and bladder retraining.
She told the Herald News that this approach can help women to regain strength and control over their pelvic floor muscles – although consistent hard work is needed to achieve the desired results.
“It works but they have to put the time in,” she explained. “I’m a guide, I can’t do it for them. I give them the tools and the information so they can do it for themselves.”
At the start of treatment, Ms McCabe uses a biofeedback machine to provide information on the strength and endurance of the patient’s pelvic floor.
She told the Herald News that patients are then given a series of exercises – including wall squats, lunges, sit-ups and deep breathing – to strengthen their muscles so that they develop better bladder control and are less likely to leak urine.
The routine only takes up to 20 minutes a day, but does need to be performed regularly to be effective, alongside bladder retraining.
Ms McCabe noted: “There’s never a good reason for leaking. The people that do the exercises every day are the ones that get better.”
Physiotherapists can do ‘wonders’ with pelvic floor
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Women with urinary incontinence need not necessarily resort to surgery or medication, as physiotherapists can now do “wonders” when it comes to pelvic floor problems, an expert has said.
Dr Julia Garcia, a urologist at Franciscan St Anthony Health in Michigan City, US, told nwi.com that traditional techniques only provided a short-term solution to bladder problems.
“Now we understand that the pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles, and those can become strained or inflamed or tight like guitar strings,” the urologist explained.
“If those floor muscles are constantly flexed, there can be pelvic pain, pain during sex, overactive bladder symptoms and lower back pain, which stems from compensating with other muscles.”
Dr Garcia revealed that urologists now send patients to a physiotherapist so that they learn how to control their pelvic floor muscles better.
Meanwhile, Tracy Campbell, a specialist in women’s health and chronic pelvic dysfunction at Dynamic Rehabilitation Services in Valparaiso, told the news provider that physiotherapy can help save money on incontinence pads, such as Lil Form Classic pads, which are shaped to ensure comfort and leakage security.
She added: “Physical therapy can also possibly prevent the need for surgery.”
Physiotherapists can do ‘wonders’ with pelvic floor
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Women with urinary incontinence need not necessarily resort to surgery or medication, as physiotherapists can now do “wonders” when it comes to pelvic floor problems, an expert has said.
Dr Julia Garcia, a urologist at Franciscan St Anthony Health in Michigan City, US, told nwi.com that traditional techniques only provided a short-term solution to bladder problems.
“Now we understand that the pelvic floor is a hammock of muscles, and those can become strained or inflamed or tight like guitar strings,” the urologist explained.
“If those floor muscles are constantly flexed, there can be pelvic pain, pain during sex, overactive bladder symptoms and lower back pain, which stems from compensating with other muscles.”
Dr Garcia revealed that urologists now send patients to a physiotherapist so that they learn how to control their pelvic floor muscles better.
Meanwhile, Tracy Campbell, a specialist in women’s health and chronic pelvic dysfunction at Dynamic Rehabilitation Services in Valparaiso, told the news provider that physiotherapy can help save money on incontinence pads, such as Lil Form Classic pads, which are shaped to ensure comfort and leakage security.
She added: “Physical therapy can also possibly prevent the need for surgery.”
Pelvic floor exercises ‘for life, not just for pregnancy’
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Pelvic floor exercises are an important post-pregnancy activity, but should also be viewed as a life-long skill, according to one woman who has benefited from doing them.
Christine, a 28-year-old mum-of-two, admitted that she did not bother to attend a pelvic floor clinic to reduce her risk of female incontinence after giving birth as she “felt too busy”.
However, she told the MadeForMums website that six months after the birth, she was suffering from urinary incontinence.
“So I went to the clinic and learnt how to do the exercises,” she revealed.
“Even though I’m now fine, I still do them daily. Pelvic floor training is for life, not just for pregnancy.”
Stress incontinence is a common occurrence after pregnancy, as the urethra – the tube leading from the bladder – may become weakened due to nerve damage.
For this reason, women are often advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training to strengthen the muscles used to control the flow of urine.
Typically, NHS experts recommend performing a minimum of eight muscle contractions at least three times a day for a minimum of three months to reduce the risk of female incontinence.
Many women with incontinence ‘improve without surgery’
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Female incontinence is a common condition, affecting around 13 per cent of women in the UK.
Some women opt to undergo surgery, such as tape or sling procedures for stress urinary incontinence, or nerve stimulation for an overactive bladder or urge incontinence.
However, according to Esther Dolowich, a physical therapist at Alta Bates Summit Medical Centre in Oakland, California, surgery is often not necessary as less invasive techniques can be effective.
She told the Contra Costa Times: “So many women improve significantly without surgery, just with education and exercise.
“Mindfulness, education, exercise and just paying attention can help.”
One woman who benefited from physical therapy after becoming reliant on incontinence pads is Susie, a 34-year-old mother-of-two.
She told the news provider: “I noticed when I coughed or laughed or if I was reaching for something I had some leakage.
“(After physical therapy) I felt more comfortable going out. I didn’t feel like my life had to revolve around if there was a bathroom around or not.”