Urinary Incontinence: What Is It, and How Can PT Help?

Urinary incontinence is the accidental leakage of urine. It is classified into several different types: stress, urge, mixed, and functional incontinence. There are many different causes of urinary incontinence, but it is typically caused by weakness or dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles.

• Stress urinary incontinence (SUI): leakage caused by increased pressure (stress) on the bladder.
  • Can occur during sneezing, coughing, laughing, exercising, lifting, or other activities requiring exertion.
• Urge urinary incontinence (UUI): leakage of urine associated with a strong urge to urinate, typically associated with difficulty getting to the bathroom in time. 
  • Increased frequency of urination, often a result of habit, like using the bathroom before you leave the house or “just in case.”
• Mixed incontinence: combination of stress and urge incontinence. 
  • As individuals age, it is more common to develop both stress and urge urinary incontinence together. 
• Functional incontinence: leakage of urine that occurs to a person with normal bladder function that is unable to get to the bathroom due to other factors. 
  • Physical or cognitive conditions
  • Environmental barriers

​The pelvic floor muscles can become tight, weak, or uncoordinated, and that can lead to urinary incontinence. A pelvic health physical therapist will take a subjective history, perform an objective exam to determine your specific type of incontinence as well as other limitations, and create a plan of care to address these limitations.
Pelvic health PT can include exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor, exercises to lengthen the pelvic floor, behavior modifications, bladder training, bladder diary/voiding log, diet modifications, treatment of surrounding joints or musculature, etc. Your pelvic health PT will design an individualized treatment plan to fit your specific needs. For more information regarding this topic, feel free to message us or schedule a consultation with a pelvic health PT.