Could Physical Therapy Resolve Your Urinary Incontinence?

Millions of women experience bladder leakage, along with the discomfort, uncertainty, and embarrassment it can cause. While you might think urinary incontinence is “just” a part of aging, it’s not. There are treatments that can help.

Feminine Urgicare is a leading provider of women’s health services, offering comprehensive care for every stage of a woman’s life. In this post, our team reviews why incontinence happens and how physical therapy could help you feel more comfortable and more confident.

Why bladder leakage happens

Like many regular bodily functions, urinating seems straightforward until you really look at everything that’s involved in expelling urine from your body. 

Healthy urinary function depends on ongoing communication and coordination between nerves, muscles, and other tissues and organs, including your bladder, urethra, and kidneys.

Since so many components are involved, there are lots of ways this system can break down, leading to embarrassing urine leakage. 

Injuries and prior surgery can play a role. Still, for many women, it’s childbirth, weight fluctuations, and hormonal changes that typically begin in the years leading up to menopause. 

It’s these age-related changes that have led to the misconception that incontinence is something unavoidable and unmanageable. 

But there are actually lots of treatment options to choose from when it comes to reducing or eliminating urine leakage entirely, including completely noninvasive options like physical therapy.

Physical therapy focuses on one of the most common causes of urinary incontinence, which is pelvic floor weakness. Your pelvic floor is made up of muscles, ligaments, and other tissues that support the bladder and urethra and manage how well you control your urine flow, too. 

How pelvic floor physical therapy works

Like other tissues, the pelvic floor tends to weaken as we age, especially if we’ve had vaginal deliveries or considerable weight changes. 

Pelvic floor therapy focuses on helping you tone and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, improving the physical support for your bladder and urethra, and helping you control your urine flow far more effectively. 

Yes, Kegel exercises play a role, but that’s just part of what this type of therapy involves. Y

For many people, pelvic floor therapy involves exercises beyond Kegels, as well as lifestyle changes, like regular physical activity, nutritional guidance, bladder training, and even biofeedback therapy to ensure your exercise routine is targeting the right muscles. 

Sometimes, pelvic floor therapy is combined with medication to support normal urinary health and function.

During your initial visit and throughout your therapy, we evaluate how your pelvic floor responds to physical stress, helping you make small adjustments to everyday activities, like lifting or straining, that could be contributing to your symptoms. 

And of course, we continually assess and update your routines to keep pace with your needs as your symptoms improve over time.

Put an end to embarrassing bladder leakage

Urinary incontinence can definitely feel isolating and overwhelming, but with the right therapy plan in place, you can start noticing real improvements in your symptoms within a few weeks without undergoing invasive surgery. 

To learn more about pelvic floor therapy and how it can play a role in your urinary incontinence treatment plan, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Feminine Urgicare in Paramus and Clifton, New Jersey, today.