Urinary Incontinence, Female

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine.  There are several types of urinary incontinence:

Stress Incontinence is the leakage of small amounts of urine when there is increased intra abdominal pressure.  This can happen with exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting or other activities.

Urge Incontinence is the leakage of urine when a person feels the sudden strong urge to urinate.

Mixed Incontinence includes symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence.

How Can Physical Therapy Help?

Because many symptoms of urinary incontinence are caused by pelvic floor weakness and/or dysfunction a thorough examination by a specially trained physical therapist is appropriate.  Her Health physical therapists will evaluate your pelvic floor muscles and design an individualized plan of care to help you gain control over your urinary symptoms. 

Treatment will include: proper motor control activation and relaxation of pelvic floor muscles and exercises to stretch or strengthen the pelvic floor and other important muscles.  Additional treatment may include education on dietary influences on bladder irritability, ways to decrease urinary urgency and frequency and possible advice on modifications of behaviors that may aggravate your urinary symptoms.