Urinary Incontinence

URINARY INCONTINENCE = BLADDER LEAKAGE

Just because approximately 13 million Americans experience urinary incontinence, it doesn't mean you have to accept it as your new normal.

Most Common Types of Urinary Incontinence

1. Stress Urinary Incontinence

• Have you ever peed a little while coughing or sneezing? Perhaps it’s the reason why you avoid jumping rope or jumping on the trampoline?
• This is stress urinary Incontinence and it affects 24% to 45% of women over 30 years of age. (1)
• Here's why it happens: Pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can impact your pelvic floor. Another cause: not being able to properly engage your core (i.e. you have improper breathing mechanics, a weak TVA and a weak pelvic floor). It’s a result of increased pressure on the pelvic floor when you sneeze or exert yourself. It occurs due to weakness in the pelvic floor.
• Who: Women who do sports, Women who’ve undergone pregnancy and childbirth, Women undergoing menopause (low estrogen levels) (3), Women with weak pelvic floor muscles.

2. Urgency urinary incontinence

• Described as a sudden and urgent need to urinate.
• Involuntary Contraction: involves involuntary contractions of the bladder and sphincter muscles, leading to leakage.
• Who: Women who’ve undergone pregnancy and childbirth. Organs get moved and may not return to their original positions, leading to bladder dysfunction, Women undergoing menopause (low estrogen levels) (3), Women with weak pelvic floor muscles

3. Mixed Incontinence

• A mixture of both stress and urge incontinence at the same time.

Solutions: (4)

• Core Training: improve breathing mechanics, Pelvic floor exercises, TVA strengthening exercises.
• Seek medical care for bladder issues: This is important because there is potential progression to recurrent UTIs, bladder infections, and kidney infections.
• Dietary Modifications
• Weight loss: a 3% to 5% weight reduction can decrease urinary incontinence episodes by about 50%. (5)
• Wardrobe Modifications
• Seek medical care to assess if vaginal estrogen therapy is indicated.

1. Khandelwal C, Kistler C. Diagnosis of urinary incontinence. Am Fam Physician. 2013 Apr 15;87(8):543-50.
2. Tran L, Puckett Y. Urinary Incontinence: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559095/
3. Robinson D et al, The effects of hormones on the lower urinay tract. Menopause Int. 2013 Dec;19(4): 155-62
4. Grimes W, Stratton M. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559246/
5. Aoki Y, Brown HW, Brubaker L, Cornu JN, Daly JO, Cartwright R. Urinary incontinence in women. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017 Nov 16;3:17097.