Peeing your pants is not normal! Part 1
Peeing your pants is not normal!
By: Marin Cole
PART ONE:
Let me ask you this, did you have a baby recently, or even 20 years ago, and think to yourself, well I had a baby so now I just leak when I sneeze, it’s totally fine because it happens to all of my friends?
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard patients say this, or at least something similar to this. And let me clarify, not everyone who experiences loss of urine has had a baby; this can happen to men or women, bladder dysfunction doesn’t discriminate. Well I’ll let you in on a secret, urine loss is COMMON but NOT NORMAL. This is one of the first things a pelvic floor physical therapist will tell you during an evaluation; the symptoms you are experiencing are not uncommon, but just because of your pregnancy history, past surgeries, or even your age or gender, this does not mean these symptoms are “normal,” and there is something you can do about it!
I want to ask you several questions to see if you’re experiencing any of the 5 types of urinary incontinence.
Stress urinary incontinence: Do you cough or sneeze and notice a little or even a lot of urine loss without your control? Did you try jump roping again at the gym for the first time in a while and notice urine leaking with every jump? Did you try going for a jog and noticed the faster you ran the more urine you lost?
Urge urinary incontinence: Do you know where every bathroom is and have to plan your days around when and where you can use the bathroom? Do you feel a sudden urge to urinate and then all of a sudden you have involuntary loss of urine?
Mixed urinary incontinence: Are you experiencing a little bit of both of the above symptoms?
Overflow urinary incontinence: Do you feel like you aren’t able to fully empty your bladder? After you go to the bathroom do you notice a little bit of dribbling?
Functional urinary incontinence: Do you have an impairment, that you may or may not be aware of, that prevents you from making it to the toilet, causing you to leak urine?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, and you thought “this happens to everybody,” well you aren’t alone, and pelvic floor PT can help!
How can we help you ask? Let me tell you… TO BE CONTINUED….