Bladder Leakage
A Common Issue That Doesn’t Have to Be So Common
Many women believe that a leaky bladder is an inevitable side effect of having kids and getting older. And, to be fair, urinary incontinence is fairly common in women. Although accurate statistics are hard to come by, between 24% and 45% of women report experiencing some sort of incontinence.
There are multiple types of urinary incontinence, and the most common type among women is stress incontinence, which is an involuntary leakage of urine that occurs when you exert pressure on your lower abdomen (such as while sneezing or coughing, jumping, laughing, speaking loudly,).
While there’s some value in knowing that urinary incontinence is common–it means you’re not alone!–it’s also important to recognize that this is not an issue you necessarily have to live with The physical therapists at (practice name) will work closely with you to find a treatment program that addresses your symptoms.
Today, we want to share the story of a patient who thought her bladder leakage was normal and expected–and how, through her treatments at our (town) clinic, we wound up helping her resolve pelvic dysfunction she had been experiencing for years.
Meet the Patient: Mary
Mary had always assumed her urinary leaking was typical for someone who had given birth, and she managed the issue on her own for nearly twenty years. But as she entered menopause, her incontinence worsened, and she also began experiencing intense abdominal pain.
She visited a doctor about the pain, but they couldn’t determine what was causing it. She eventually found her way to (practice name), hoping physical therapy might be able to help.
The Importance of a Complete Health History
A patient’s first appointment always consists of an in-depth assessment to help us learn more about the patient and their symptoms. While talking with Mary, I learned that she had suffered through painful periods for her entire life. As with her urinary leakage, she assumed periods were just like that–intense and debilitating. For nearly forty years, she managed the pain as best she could.
Except periods shouldn’t be that intensely painful, and certainly not for your entire life! As I examined Mary, it became clear to me that her body had been essentially asking for help all that time, and none of the medical providers Mary had ever seen had been able to offer it.
That changed at our clinic, though.
How Pelvic Floor Therapy Helped Mary Find Relief
Mary’s issues stemmed in part from dysfunction in her pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a group of internal muscles that act as a hammock for your pelvic organs, including the bladder, bowel and sexual organs. Restrictions in the pelvic floor’s tissue can cause various symptoms, including pain and urinary incontinence .
We guided Mary through our whole-body approach. We think of it as the three R’s:
Relax
Our first step was relaxing Mary’s pelvic floor tissue using John Barnes myofascial release, a technique that targets fascial restrictions in the connective tissue surrounding the muscles.
Revive
Next, we helped Mary strengthen and stabilize her core, pelvic floor, and hip muscles with targeted exercises. Because the pelvic floor muscles are internal (and can be harder to train), we utilized training her to feel these muscles first contract and relax and then help strengthen with touch feedback at first to help Mary train them.
Return
After identifying root cause ,addressing it and strengthening it we then helped mary return to jumping and living her life and wearing any colored clothes ,doing anything she wanted without need to wear feminine pads without worries of bladder leakage. This way mary was able to avoid unnecessary medication, injections or surgeries for her issue.
Finding Relief After Years of Pain
Our holistic approach to treatment paid off. Mary was free from abdominal pain for the first time in six years, and her bladder leakage stopped entirely. She actually told us that our approach helped her feel better than she had in a decade!
Mary’s story illustrates how important it is to not put up with symptoms simply because they’re common. Urinary leakage and painful periods can both indicate an issue in your body–and often, targeted pelvic floor physical therapy can resolve that issue.
Are you sick of dealing with “normal” symptoms? Schedule an appointment at (practice name), and we’ll work hard to find a solution that works for you!