It’s not normal to leak: urinary incontinence

Do you leak a little when you laugh, cough, or sneeze? Are you wetting yourself when exercising? If so, it may be that you have a condition known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI). You are not alone in this!

According to the American National Association for Continence nearly 25 million adults suffer from urinary leakage. SUI is the most common kind. It occurs when the body is not strong enough to hold urine inside the bladder during certain activities. The urethra is a tube like structure that carries the urine from the bladder to outside the body. Muscles around the urethra normally keep this tube closed and then relax during urination. In SUI the muscles and tissues responsible for supporting the bladder and closing the urethra are compromised. When too much pressure/stress is placed on this weakened system the urine leaks out causing urinary incontinence.

Causes

This can happen for a number of reasons. The most common ones include childbirth, hormonal changes and surgery. SUI is more common in women than men.

Treatment

The good news is more often than not, with treatment, you can learn to manage your stress incontinence and improve your overall well-being. In fact, research shows that the majority of women experiencing SUI achieve symptom resolution with pelvic floor exercises alone.

The Pelvic Floor

For many of us though, it is not easy to contract our pelvic floor muscles let alone even find them! Studies show approximately one third of women contract the wrong muscles such as the gluteals, adductors or abdominals when trying to engage the pelvic floor. Bearing down on your pelvic floor may actually worsen your symptoms.

At Body Harmony, our team of experienced pelvic floor therapists are highly trained to teach you how to engage your pelvic floor and deep core muscles correctly in order to support your urinary storage system, maintain your pelvic alignment, close off your urethra and help to resolve your SUI. Don’t limit your social life, leisure activities or ability to do your favorite exercise program because you are embarrassed about leakage. We are here to help you towards regaining control again.

References:

Dumolin C, Glazener C, Jenkinson D. Determining the optimal pelvic floor muscle training regimen for women with stress urinary incontinence. Neurourol Urodyn. 2011: 30(5): 746-753.
Henderson JW, Wang S, Egger MJ, Master M, Nygaard I. Can women correctly contract their pelvic floor muscles without formal instruction? Female Pelvic Med Reconst Surg. 2013: 19(1): 8-12.

Author: Gwen Harvey, PT
Editor: Keely Faridi, PT