Faith Regional Health Services | living WELL

You might have:

If you:

Stress incontinence

Leak urine when you cough, exercise, laugh or do other

physical activities.

Urge incontinence

Leak large amounts of urine (for example, before you can

reach the toilet or during sleep).

Mixed incontinence

Have a combination of symptoms, most often of stress

and urge incontinence.

Overactive bladder

•

Have a sudden, pressing need to urinate.

•

Make eight or more trips to the restroom in

24 hours.

•

Wake up two or more times per night because you need

to urinate.

•

Have urge incontinence.

Overflow incontinence

(more common in men)

Leak small amounts of urine unexpectedly (for example,

when your bladder is full or after you’ve voided).

Functional incontinence

Have a physical disability or a medical problem that

interferes with thinking (such as Alzheimer’s disease) that

keeps you from reaching the toilet in time.

Transient incontinence

Have leakage caused by temporary changes (a new

medicine, a urinary tract infection or a cough froma cold).

PREGNANCY.

Vaginal deliveries. Menopause. The female anatomy itself.

All of these make women vulnerable to a common and bothersome condition:

urinary incontinence (UI). In fact, women are twice as likely as men to experi-

ence the involuntary passing of urine—the main symptom of UI.

“Many women feel anxiety when it comes to discussing incontinence with

their health care providers,” says Emily Afrank, DPT, PT, physical therapist at

Faith Regional Rehabilitation Therapies. “According to the National Association of

Incontinence, on average women wait more than six years before seeking help.”

So if you leak when you laugh or frequently lose your race to the restroom,

don’t despair—every type of UI is treatable. Share your symptoms with your

doctor. Depending on your diagnosis, various solutions might work. Medication

is one possible treatment. Surgery is another option—but many women improve

without it.

“Many types of incontinence can be treated with physical therapy by using

interventions such as Kegel exercises, bladder retraining and biofeedback,” says

Kellie Gossman, DPT, PT, CLT, physical therapist at Faith Regional Rehabilitation

Therapies. “Improving your symptoms, even just a little, can greatly increase your

overall quality of life.”

Sources: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Urogynecologic Society; National Institutes of Health

If you are experiencing

incontinence, talk to

your doctor to find out if

physical therapy may help treat

your symptoms. Visit

frhs.org

to learn more about incontinence

therapy and other therapies

specifically designed for women,

such as pre- and post-pregnancy

therapy, osteoporosis therapy,

and therapy for pelvic pain.

Kellie Gossman,

DPT, PT, CLT

Emily Afrank,

DPT, PT

UR INARY INCONT INENCE

The

bladder blues

for women

There are many types of UI

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE ONE? THIS CHART CAN HELP.

Faith Regional Rehabilitation Therapies

1500 Koenigstein Ave., Norfolk

402-644-7396

FRHS.ORG