Incontinence and All That Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Do to Resolve it For Good!

There are two types of incontinence that pelvic floor physical therapy can treat: urinary and fecal. The most commonly thought of and the most prominent in women and men is urinary incontinence. And while this is common in a lot of individuals, it should certainly not be considered normal.

There can be so many causes of urinary incontinence and the outcomes with pelvic floor physical therapy treatment are outstanding at about 90% improvement in incidence of leaking urine overall, with plenty of individuals seeing full resolution of leaking. Even the more complex cases can expect improvement and increased ability to manage symptoms and improve overall function. There are additionally two main categories of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Both are very treatable with pelvic floor physical therapy.

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Stress incontinence is usually a little more simple to explain and includes leaking urine with activities that increase intra abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or vomiting. This also includes leaking with activities like jumping, heavy lifting, transitioning, or falling. Pelvic floor physical therapy treats this through internal and external assessment of the pelvic floor musculature, as well as assessment of breathing, coordination, and reactivity of the core musculature. 

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Urge incontinence is different from stress in regard to the brain and body not feeling like they have control over the bladder when the individual gets the urge to use the bathroom. This can lead to leaking urine when the urge comes and they are unable to get to the restroom in time whether that happens in a grocery sore or at home right before they reach the toilet. Pelvic floor therapy can help by using the same assessment as for stress incontinence, but additionally helping to retrain toileting habits and re establish control of the bladder through the brain-body connection. 

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Fecal incontinence is overall less common than urinary and usually occurs when an individual has decreased control over their pelvic floor in combination with loose stools. This can happen in the post-partum phase, as well as after certain surgical procedures. Pelvic floor physical therapy can provide very similar treatment to that of urinary incontinence by regaining control of the pelvic floor and improving function in the structures surrounding the pelvis. 

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If you have experienced any the symptoms you have read above, pelvic floor physical therapy can help! In fact, it should be your first line of treatment to help avoid any unnecessary medications or surgeries.

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Through pelvic floor physical therapy you can resolve your symptoms by getting control of your body yourself!