What is Urinary Incontinence ?

Urinary incontinence (UI) refers to the unintentional leakage of urine. This condition can affect individuals of any age, though it is more common in women and older adults.

If you’re experiencing UI, you may shy away from your usual activities or try to conceal your symptoms. However, there are treatments available that can often manage or eliminate UI.

Understanding UI can help you make better choices regarding treatment. Let’s start by exploring how the urinary system and pelvic floor muscles work together.

The bladder is a balloon-like organ in your lower abdomen, responsible for storing urine until you’re ready to empty it. During urination, the muscles around the bladder contract, pushing urine out through the urethra, a tube that leads out of the body. Ring-shaped muscles then relax to allow the urine to pass.

If any of these muscles malfunction, urine leakage can occur.

Short-term conditions or certain medications may cause temporary urine leakage. Long-term UI can result from various factors, including:

  • Weak bladder or pelvic floor muscles
  • Nerve damage affecting bladder control
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • In men, an enlarged or inflamed prostate

There are five main types of UI:

  1. Stress incontinence: Leaking occurs during physical activities such as coughing, laughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects.
  2. Urge incontinence: A sudden, strong urge to urinate makes it difficult to reach the bathroom in time.
  3. Mixed incontinence: A combination of stress and urge incontinence symptoms.
  4. Overflow incontinence: The bladder doesn’t empty fully during urination, causing small, frequent leaks as it becomes overfull.
  5. Functional incontinence: The bladder and muscles function properly, but other factors—such as mobility issues, cognitive challenges, or difficulty undressing—prevent timely access to the bathroom.

A consultation with your healthcare provider can help determine the cause of your UI. Treatment plans often include a combination of approaches, tailored to your specific situation. Some common options are:

  • Pelvic floor therapy
  • Bladder retraining
  • Lifestyle and behavioral modifications
  • Medical interventions

If you have concerns about UI, speak with your healthcare provider to explore your treatment options.

 

 Urinary Urge Control Techniques

If you get frequent or intense urges to urinate, you may have what’s called overactive bladder. This condition can exist with or without urinary incontinence, which is when a person gets unwanted urine leaks.

Controlling these urgent sensations can be frustrating to deal with. It may feel like your bladder is in control of your life. You may avoid certain activities and events where finding a bathroom is difficult or impossible.

How do my bladder and brain work together?

Your brain and bladder talk regularly. They use your spinal cord to send messages to each other.

When your bladder gets full, it sends a signal to your brain. When your brain gets this message, you know it’s time to go to the bathroom soon.

Sometimes, your bladder sends the message even though it’s not completely full.

What is the urge wave?

The strong sensation to urinate is like an “urge wave.” Once the urge wave starts, it grows, peaks, and then eases up. At the start of the urge wave, you may find it hard to ignore and make unnecessary bathroom trips. Over time, this can worsen the sense of urgency.

 

What can I do to better manage my bladder?

Here are 4 techniques you can use to reduce the urge wave when it is at its peak:

  1. Stop what you’re doing. Instead of rushing to the bathroom, stop what you’re doing and sit down or stand still.
  2. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles 5-6 times. Then relax and do slow, deep breaths. This helps to reduce the urge sensation.(Your healthcare provider will teach you how to perform these movements correctly.)
  3. Distract yourself. Try making a grocery list, counting backward from 100 by 7s, playing a game on your phone, or thinking about a happy memory.
  4. Create and recite affirmations. Use phrases such as, “I am in control,” “I can wait,” or “I can do this.” 

If the urge returns after a few minutes, you can repeat the first four techniques of stopping, contracting, distracting, and creating affirmations. Do this until you can calmly walk to the bathroom. If you can help it, you want to avoid rushing to the bathroom.

If you are nervous to try these techniques when you’re out and about, practice them at home first.

 

What else can I do to control the urge?

If you can’t get to a bathroom fast enough, try some physical strategies. Cross your legs or do a few seated heel raises. You can also put pressure to the space in between your genitals and anus with your hand or with a rolled towel.

With practice, you can get back in control of your bladder instead of letting your bladder control you.

If you have questions about urinary urge control techniques, speak with your healthcare provider.