Stress urinary incontinence

Do you have leakage of urine while sneezing, coughing, laughing or lifting weight?  

Why does it happen?

It is due to weakness of the muscles that help your bladder to remain close when you are not supposed to urinate. These are known as pelvic floor muscles.

Causes.

• ·       Tear of the muscles
• ·       Progressive weakness
• ·       Neurological disorders
• ·       Spinal cord injury or pathology
• ·       Lumbar disc problems
• ·       Repeated pregnancies
• ·       Repeated vaginal deliveries
• ·       Person with anemia and malnutrition is more prone to this problem.

Female with the age group of 30 to 50 are more prone to have urinary incontinence

How to correct it?

• 1.   Correct Anemia and Malnutrition
• 2.   Physiotherapy treatment
• 3.   Ayurved treatment
• 4.   Yoga
• 5.   Surgical repair of torn tissues followed by physiotherapy. 

•  First line of treatment is physiotherapy.

How can a Physiotherapist Help?

Incontinence therapist or women’s health physiotherapist is a qualified person to provide you the treatment for incontinence.

Physiotherapist examines for the strength and integrity of the muscles of pelvic floor, which supports the bladder mouth to withstand the abdominal pressure causing bladder to compress. If necessary, a physiotherapist will refer you for some sonographical investigations for the integrity of pelvic floor. If any surgical repair is needed then she may send you to a surgeon.

If it is muscle weakness or inhibition of the muscles, you need to have exercises sessions with physiotherapist. She will help you to judge the weakness and contraction of the muscles. She will teach you a plan of exercise (pelvic floor exercise), specially designed as per your health and needs. You have to practice the same at home and go for follow up periodically as advised by her. Sometimes electrical stimulation may be needed. A patient needs to keep patience while treatment as it is slow but regular recovery process. One must not drop the treatment in between.

Benefits of pelvic floor exercises

·         They're simple to do.

·         They're cheap.

·         They're effective.

·         You can do them when sitting, standing or lying down.

·    You don't need any special equipment, but until you get into the habit of doing them, you may find that a tick chart helps to remind you to do your exercises.

 

Pl. note

·         It can take up to 15 weeks before you see any difference.

·   If you haven't noticed a difference after three months, see your physiotherapist again to check whether you're doing them correctly or if there's another problem.