Commonly Treated Conditions- Incontinence

Millions of women and men suffer with incontinence. Weakened pelvic floor muscles, which support the internal organs of the pelvis and prevent leakage, are a major cause of incontinence. Pelvic floor muscles in spasm can contribute to incontinence and can cause pain in the rectal and pelvic region. Physical Therapy offers muscle re-education and bladder retraining, so that each individual can learn how to effectively use these muscles to reduce their symptoms.

Treatable forms include: stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, and mixed urinary incontinence which is a combination of the first two types. Individuals can have bladder urgency and frequency without leakage.
Also treatable, is fecal incontinence. A weakened external anal sphincter and pelvic floor muscles often cause this problem, especially in women during the postpartum period or in men and women later in life.

BLADDER FUNCTION: So what is normal, anyway?
It is a very distressing situation for an adult to lose bladder function. Knowing what is normal is the first step towards making a decision to ask for help. Answer these 4 questions to help you decide whether you should see your doctor or another health professional.

1. Do you urinate more than 8 times during an average day?
2. Do you wake up to urinate more than once after going to sleep?
3. Do you rush to get to the bathroom for fear of losing urine?
4. Do you worry about finding a bathroom quickly when you are away from home?

If you answered yes to any of the above, it may indicate a bladder condition that can be addressed by your doctor or a physical therapist trained in this area.