Incontinence Explained

Incontinence – we don’t like talking about it but it is more common than you may think! Anyone who experiences accidental or involuntary loss of urine may be suffering from urinary incontinence. Ever noticed if you sneeze or cough that you might get a small amount of leakage? Or while running, jumping, or playing sports that you experience bladder leakage? Or sometimes you might just not make it to the toilet in time? These are all symptoms of urinary incontinence! The good thing is you are not alone.

Here are some key stats:

• 1 in 4 people in Australia aged 15 years or over experience bladder/bowel control problems
• 1 in 3 women experience incontinence after having a baby
• 70% of people who experience incontinence do NOT seek help
• More than 1 in 10 young women experience bladder leakage
• Urinary incontinence has a prevalence rate of 25.9% in young females across different sports

Urinary incontinence is not something that just occurs when you are older, it can occur anytime across our lifespan for many different reasons. There are many different types of Urinary Incontinence but the two main types are:

1. Stress Urinary Incontinence:

Defined as the involuntary loss of urine (small or large) on effort, physical exertion (e.g., sporting activities), or on sneezing or coughing.

2. Urge Urinary Incontinence:

Defined as involuntary loss of urine associated with urgency, a sudden and strong need to urinate.

So how can physiotherapy help with incontinence?

Your pelvic floor muscles play a big role in helping manage incontinence and this is where as physiotherapists we can help you! One of the main roles your pelvic floor is responsible for is controlling the release of urine and/or delaying emptying until it is convenient for you. When your pelvic floor muscles are functioning normally, they contract to tighten the opening around your urine passage not allowing any leakage. When you relax your pelvic floor muscles, this reduces the pressure around your urine passage allowing urine to pass. Incontinence can occur when your pelvic floor muscles are not functioning correctly. This can occur because of pelvic floor weakness, overactivity, pregnancy/childbirth and many other reasons. A physiotherapist can help assess the function of your pelvic floor muscles and develop a treatment plan to help manage your symptoms. Just like any other muscle in your body, physios can help you strengthen your pelvic floor, improve coordination and endurance of your pelvic floor and get you feeling confident in your body again!

If you have experienced some of these symptoms or think you suffer from incontinence, get in contact with one of the physiotherapists from our team at Instinct Health and find out how an assessment might get you back on track again.