There are three main types of urinary incontinence, and they focus on the actual cause of the urine leakage. In elderly folks urge incontinence is probably one of the most prevalent types of incontinence that can be found. It manifests itself as an immediate urge to urinate followed by a violent spasm of the bladder and incontinence. This episode of incontinence can vary from very light to heavy. In younger folks stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence, which is caused when sudden pressure is placed on the bladder causing urine leakage. This sudden pressure is usually caused by something like a sneeze, laugh or cough, and it can even be caused when exerting the stomach muscles as in the case of lifting a heavy object. The third main type of incontinence is overflow incontinence, and it happens when the bladder does not empty all of the way, or when there is an obstruction in the urethra. This type of incontinence occurs when the bladder never fully empties, so it frequently overfills, leaks and causes incontinence. As you can imagine, it is important to have a doctor diagnose the type of incontinence that you have so the two of you can outline a course of treatment to cure or at least manage your incontinence condition.
There are four basic categories that all incontinence treatments fall into which are, behavior modification, physical therapy, medicine and surgery. Your doctor can ascertain which type of therapy best suits your individual incontinence problem. Generally you will begin with the least invasive treatment option for your incontinence problem and move through to the more invasive solutions as you are looking for relief from your incontinence problem. It is important to have an expert, medical opinion as you make these treatment decisions.
Very likely your doctor will decide to begin treatment with the most basic solution for treating your incontinence symptoms. He may very well have you keep a bladder diary to help determine any pattern of your incontinence. Oftentimes if you can see the pattern of your incontinence, you can make a few behavior adjustments and your incontinence symptoms will subside. At this point if your symptoms persist then physical therapy may also be warranted. Exercising the pelvic floor muscles is much like working out any muscle in your body, and by properly exercising you can make it stronger and help to regain its function, which can directly translate into minimizing your incidence of incontinence. Both of these solutions for incontinence have no bad side effects, so there is absolutely no harm in employing them as you are trying to resolve your incontinence problems.
However, if your incontinence symptoms persist, your doctor may prescribe medication for your problem. Depending on the underlying cause of your incontinence there are several different types of medication that you may benefit from. There are medications to quiet muscle spasms, which would help to correct urge incontinence. There are medications to reduce the volume of urine that your body makes, which would help to correct overflow incontinence. There are medications that rid the body of infection. While medication will help with some types of incontinence, like urge and overflow incontinence, there are other types of incontinence where medication is largely ineffective, like stress incontinence.
There are times when incontinence is caused by an injury where something is physically broken, and in this type of case surgery may very well be the best option for treatment. It is important to remember though, that both medication and surgery can have unexpected side effects, so consider treatment with your physician carefully. Whether it is urge, stress or overflow incontinence that you are dealing with, there is a treatment solution out there for you, so work closely with your physician to find what works best for your incontinence symptoms.
Further Incontinence Articles
