Can Pelvic Floor Therapy Get Rid of My Urinary Leakage?
Urinary incontinence, or leakage, can be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Some find it embarrassing and struggle to bring up the issues they may be experiencing around bladder control with even their most trusted healthcare providers.
We’re here to tell you that you do not have to live with urinary incontinence! There are effective, nonsurgical treatment options available and you deserve to receive the care you need. In a 2022 study, 62% of patients participating in pelvic floor physical therapy significantly reduced their urinary incontinence or cured it and improved their pelvic floor muscle function.
If you’re stuck in a constant loop of wondering why your bladder seems too small — read on for tips and advice on how to manage urinary leakage and to find out how pelvic floor physical therapy can help!
What are the different types of urinary leakage?
Stress incontinence: Urinary leakage when the pelvic floor muscles are put under stress such as when coughing, jumping, exercising, laughing, or during sex.
Urge incontinence: The sudden and overwhelming urge to void your bladder, resulting in the involuntary leakage of urine.
Mixed incontinence: Incontinence that includes a combination of features of both of the above categories. Mixed incontinence is the most common type of incontinence
What are some common causes of urinary leakage?
Some of the most common causes of leakage include:
Pelvic floor muscle weakness
Pelvic floor muscle tension
Damage to the pelvic floor during childbirth or delivery
Increased abdominal pressure due to extra weight or straining
Drinking too many bladder irritants such as: alcohol,caffeine, and/or not drinking enough water
Use of certain medications
What to do if you experience urinary incontinence
First, check in with your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:
Having difficulty making it to the bathroom in time to void your bladder
Waking up and going to the bathroom multiple times during the night
Going to the bathroom more frequently than normal
Not able to fully empty your bladder
Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, or exercise
Because other underlying conditions, like a UTI, can cause urinary dysfunction it’s best to talk with your doctor to ensure you receive the appropriate treatment. If your incontinence persists, talk to a pelvic floor physical therapist who can complete an evaluation and identify what may be causing your leakage. There are several treatment options available before surgery comes into the picture so please seek out behavioral and lifestyle modifications before considering surgical intervention.
Tips for managing urinary leakage
Sip small amounts of fluid throughout the day. Avoid guzzling your drinks all at once. Stay hydrated by spacing out water intake and limit water intake in the evening if you are prone to waking at night needing to use the bathroom.
Avoid things that irritate your bladder. Caffeine, alcohol, and acidic drinks are all known bladder irritants. If you’re already experiencing incontinence, avoid consuming products that may make the problem worse.
Don’t ignore the urge to go. No “just in case peeing” but also make sure you’re not holding your urine! A healthy habit is to empty your bladder every 2-4 hours during the daytime.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. Get in touch with a pelvic floor physical therapist so that they can do an assessment and create a plan unique to you!
Physical therapy to treat urinary incontinence
Pelvic floor physical therapy is an excellent, minimally invasive way to treat urinary incontinence. Your physical therapist will complete a comprehensive assessment of your pelvic floor function in order to identify a treatment plan that will work best for your individual case. Physical therapy can help to reduce or completely eliminate incontinence so that you can return to your leakage-free life full of jumping, sneezing, and all the other things you might be nervous about!
For urinary incontinence, pelvic floor physical therapy may include:
Pelvic floor exercises to strengthen, downtrain, or coordinate the muscles. Your therapist may guide you through exercises to help you activate the pelvic floor properly to stop the flow of urine before it leaks and also teach you to relax the pelvic floor muscles when appropriate.
Diaphragmatic breathing to improve coordination and awareness of the core muscles which include your pelvic floor!
Bladder habit tracking to bring your attention to what, when, and how much you are drinking and using the bathroom. If you are aware of your habits, you have the opportunity to change them.
A final note
Urinary incontinence does not have to be a permanent problem. There are nonsurgical, highly effective treatments that can help solve chronic leakage and we are here to help. If you’ve been experiencing incontinence and would like some support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our scheduling team to book an initial evaluation!
Articles:
Alouini S, Memic S, Couillandre A. Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Urinary Incontinence with or without Biofeedback or Electrostimulation in Women: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 27;19(5):2789. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19052789. PMID: 35270480; PMCID: PMC8910078.
