Urine Leakage: Understanding the 5 Types of Incontinence and How to Address Them (Part 1)
By: Marin Cole, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Kansas City (Lees Summit, MO)
PART ONE:
Have you recently had a baby, or even 20 years ago, and found yourself thinking, "Well, I had a baby, so now I just leak when I sneeze. It’s totally fine because it happens to all my friends"?
You’re not alone if you’ve thought this or something similar. I’ve heard countless patients say the same thing. But let me clarify something important: not everyone who experiences urine leakage has had a baby. Bladder dysfunction can happen to anyone—men and women alike. The truth is, urine leakage is common but not normal. This is one of the first things a pelvic floor physical therapist will tell you during an evaluation. While your symptoms may be common, they are not something you have to live with, regardless of your pregnancy history, surgeries, age, or gender. There is something you can do about it!
Let me ask you a few questions to help you identify if you’re experiencing any of the five types of urinary incontinence:
1. Stress Urinary Incontinence:
Do you cough or sneeze and notice urine leakage?
Have you tried jump roping or running, only to find yourself leaking urine?
2. Urge Urinary Incontinence:
Do you know where every bathroom is because you need to plan your day around bathroom breaks?
Do you feel a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate?
3. Mixed Urinary Incontinence:
Are you experiencing a combination of stress and urge incontinence symptoms?
4. Overflow Urinary Incontinence:
Do you feel like you can’t fully empty your bladder?
After using the bathroom, do you notice dribbling?
5. Functional Urinary Incontinence:
Do you have a physical or cognitive impairment that prevents you from making it to the toilet in time, causing urine leakage?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions and thought, “This happens to everybody,” you’re not alone—but pelvic floor physical therapy can help!
How can we help, you ask? Stay tuned for Part 2 to find out…
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Video of pelvic floor exercises for bladder health