Pelvic health plays an important role in maintaining bladder health, yet many people don’t realize just how interconnected these systems are. Urinary incontinence, which affects 24 to 45 percent of women and 11 to 34 percent of older men, is one of the most common issues related to both pelvic and bladder health. While incontinence often is dismissed as a natural part of aging, it is not inevitable, and there are many effective treatment options available.
The most common types of urinary incontinence include stress incontinence, urgency incontinence and mixed incontinence, which is a combination of both. Stress incontinence occurs when urinary leakage is triggered by physical activities that put pressure on the bladder, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising. Everyday movements, like transitioning from sitting to standing, also can lead to stress incontinence. Urgency incontinence, on the other hand, is characterized by a sudden and intense urge to urinate, often resulting in leakage before reaching the bathroom.
Urinary incontinence can have a significant impact on quality of life, leading to a host of negative effects. These may include chronic urinary tract infections, skin breakdown, social isolation, embarrassment, increased costs for incontinence products like pads and diapers, reduced physical activity, and caregiver fatigue for those who require assistance. Despite its prevalence, many people delay seeking help for urinary incontinence. In fact, studies show that it takes the average person six years to bring up urinary leakage to their health care provider. “Unfortunately, many people feel that urinary leakage is just a normal part of aging, but it is not. There are many ways to treat urinary incontinence such as medication management, physical therapy, pelvic floor exercises, surgical interventions, voiding schedules and dietary changes. The most important step is to let your care provider know that this is affecting you, so that you may be properly screened and guided to the correct method of treatment,” said Shannon Robbins, physical therapist and pelvic floor specialist with Blount Memorial Total Rehabilitation.
Pelvic floor muscles, located at the base of the pelvis, play a vital role in bladder control. These muscles support your internal organs, help maintain urinary and fecal continence, and assist in sexual function. Weak pelvic floor muscles, often the result of surgery, childbirth or disuse, can contribute to urinary incontinence. Because these muscles are inside the body and cannot be seen, they often are overlooked. However, physical therapists can assess the strength of your pelvic floor muscles through an internal rectal or vaginal exam and determine whether strengthening exercises could help you regain continence.
In cases of urgency incontinence, pelvic floor strengthening may be recommended, but the focus often shifts to retraining the bladder. “This approach involves using bladder diaries to track symptoms and identify patterns related to fluid and food intake. We give you the tools to learn and respond to your bladder’s signals, and you often can reduce or eliminate urgency incontinence through behavioral adjustments and exercises,” Robbins explained.
If you or someone you love is struggling with urinary incontinence, there’s no need to suffer in silence. Blount Memorial Total Rehabilitation can help you regain control of your bladder and improve your quality of life. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Blount Memorial Total Rehabilitation at 865-238-6118.
