Incontinence
Incontinence?
Yes. Some physical therapists, ones who specialize in pelvic floor health, are able to treat incontinence. And it's something that can affect you whether you are female, male, young, old, transgender, cisgender, pregnant, or not pregnant.
What is incontinence?
Incontinence is the inability to control your bladder and there are even different types. Generally, it is a lack of control over the bladder, which can be weak, strong, or uncoordinated. Stress incontinence happens during acts such as sneezing, laughing, jumping, or coughing; a struggle that many moms know too well. Urged, mixed, and functional incontinence show up as urine leakage between the time you get an urge to go to the restroom and the time you get there. Very frequent urination can also be classified as a type of incontinence.
Can't you just treat that with kegels?
Kegels are not the answer to everything! There are a lot of muscles going this way and that and all around the urethra (the final tube urine goes through before leaving your body), bladder, and other organs involved with urination control. In the images below, you can see a few of the layers that make up the pelvic floor. Remember, this is only a small part of the musculature and other anatomy of this area. There’s a lot happening and it can get complicated, which is why you want to see a trained professional if you think you need treatment. A PT treating a patient with incontinence may give them exercises to strengthen or stretch these muscles.
Image courtesy of Creative Commons.
Image courtesy of Creative Commons.
Image courtesy of Creative Commons.
If you'd like to know more, I recommend checking out this site:
https://www.choosept.com/symptomsconditionsdetail/physical-therapy-guide-to-incontinence-2
By the way, do not try to treat yourself! Your pelvis is important and you want a professional with in-depth knowledge of the body and how it works to evaluate and treat it.
