Urinary Incontinence (Bladder Weakness)                          

What Causes Urinary Incontinence and What Are The Symptoms?

What causes urinary incontinence?

Bladder control problems may be caused by:

• Weak muscles in the lower urinary tract.
• Problems or damage either in the urinary tract or in the nerves that control urination.

Stress incontinence can be caused by childbirth, weight gain, or other conditions that stretch the pelvic floor muscles. When these muscles can't support your bladder properly, the bladder drops down and pushes against the vagina. You can't tighten the muscles that close off the urethra. So urine may leak because of the extra pressure on the bladder when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or do other activities.

Urge incontinence is caused by an overactive bladder muscle that pushes urine out of the bladder. It may be caused by irritation of the bladder, emotional stress, or brain conditions such as Parkinson's disease or stroke. Many times doctors don't know what causes it.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptom is the accidental release of urine.

If you have stress incontinence, you may leak a small to medium amount of urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or do similar things.

If you have urge incontinence, you may feel a sudden urge to urinate and the need to urinate often. With this type of bladder control problem, you may leak a larger amount of urine that can soak your clothes or run down your legs.

If you have mixed incontinence, you may have symptoms of both problems.

How is Urinary Incontinence Diagnosed and How is It Treated

How is urinary incontinence diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask about what and how much you drink. He or she will also ask how often and how much you urinate and leak. It may help to keep track of these things using a bladder diary for 3 or 4 days before you see your doctor.

Your doctor will examine you and may do some simple tests to look for the cause of your bladder control problem. If your doctor thinks it may be caused by more than one problem, you will likely have more tests.

How is it treated?

Treatments are different for each person. They depend on the type of incontinence you have and how much it affects your life. After your doctor knows what has caused the incontinence, your treatment may include

• exercises,
• bladder training,
• medicines,
• a pessary, or
• a combination of these.

Some women may need surgery.

There are also some things you can do at home. In many cases, these lifestyle changes can be enough to control incontinence.

• Cut back on caffeine drinks, such as coffee and tea. Also cut back on fizzy drinks like soda pop. And don't drink more than one alcohol drink a day.
• Eat foods high in fiber to help avoid constipation.
• Don't smoke. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good.
• Stay at a healthy weight.
• Try simple pelvic-floor exercises like Kegel exercises.
• Go to the bathroom at several set times each day, and wear clothes that you can remove easily. Make your path to the bathroom as clear and quick as you can.
• Keep track of your symptoms and any leaking of urine with a bladder diary. This can help you and your doctor find the best treatment for you.

If you have symptoms of urinary incontinence, don't be embarrassed to tell your doctor. Most people can be helped or cured.

Urge incontinence

Urge incontinence is caused when the bladder muscle involuntarily contracts and pushes urine out of the bladder. Many times doctors don't know what causes this. But sometimes the cause is:

• Irritation of the bladder.
• Emotional stress.
• Brain conditions such as Parkinson's disease or stroke.

Overactive bladder is a kind of urge incontinence. But not everyone with overactive bladder leaks urine. For more information, see the topic Overactive Bladder.

Other Types of Incontinence

Less common types of urinary incontinence have other causes. These types include:

• Overflow incontinence.
• Total incontinence.
• Functional incontinence.
• Anatomical incontinence.

Medicines Perspective

The Medical Perspective

If your symptoms really bother you or affect your quality of life, your doctor may suggest that you try medicine along with bladder training and exercises. Medicines are used most often to help control overactive bladder. These medicines do have some annoying side effects like dry mouth and constipation. Because of this, a lot of people don't like to take them. You may decide that bladder training and exercises control your overactive bladder enough. Medicines used to treat overactive bladder are the same for men and women.

If you have severe overactive bladder or severe urge incontinence that hasn't been controlled by exercises or medicine, you may be able to try other treatments. These include Botox injections or electrical stimulation. But these treatments aren't usually tried unless other treatments haven't worked.

What Increases Your Risk

Sometimes several things combine to cause urinary incontinence. For example, a woman may have had multiple childbirths, be older, and have a severe cough because of chronic bronchitis or smoking. All of these might contribute to her incontinence problem.

Physical conditions that make urinary incontinence more likely include:

• Pregnancy and vaginal delivery.
• Having had a hysterectomy.
• Obesity or being overweight.
• Older age.
• Bladder stones.
• Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract.
• Blockage of the bladder.
• Chronic bladder infections.

Diseases and conditions that may cause urinary incontinence include:

• Chronic cough due to smoking or bronchitis.
• Pelvic organ prolapse.
• Diabetes.
• Parkinson's disease.
• Alzheimer's disease.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Bladder cancer.
• Stroke.
• Spinal cord injury.

Medicines and foods that may make urinary incontinence worse include:

• Caffeinated and carbonated drinks, such as coffee, tea, and soda pop.
• Alcohol drinks.
• Prescription medicines that increase urine production (such as diuretics) or relax the bladder (such as anticholinergics and antidepressants).
• Smoking.

When To Call a Doctor

Call your doctor if:

You have urinary incontinence that begins suddenly.  This is called acute incontinence.  It is often caused by urinary tract problems or medication and can be easily corrected with your Holistic Chiropractor.

The involuntary release of urine is enough of a problem that you need to wear an absorbent pad, or if incontinence interferes with your life in any way.

Don't be embarrassed to discuss urinary incontinence with your doctor.  Urinary incontinence is not an inevitable result of aging.  Most women with incontinence can be helped or cured with a Holistic Chiropractor.

Watchful Waiting

If you have urinary incontinence that develops slowly, you may be able to control the problem yourself. For more information, see Home Treatment. If home treatment is not effective, or if incontinence interferes with your lifestyle, ask your doctor about other treatments.

Home Treatment

If you have Urinary Incontinence, you can take some steps on your own that may stop or reduce the problem.

Set a schedule of urinating every 2 to 4 hours, regardless of whether you feel the need.

Talk with your doctor about all prescription and nonprescription medicines you take. Find out if any of them may be making your incontinence worse.

Use a bladder diary to keep track of your symptoms and any leaking of urine. Your diary can help you and your doctor find the best treatment for you.

If you have trouble reaching the bathroom before you urinate, try making a clearer, quicker path to the bathroom and wearing clothes that are easily removed (such as those with elastic waistbands or Velcro closures). Or keep a bedpan close to your bed or chair.

Wear a tampon while doing activities such as jogging or dancing to put a little pressure on your urethra and to temporarily slow or stop leakage.

Avoid drinking too much or too little fluid. Too much can increase the need to urinate and increase incontinence. Too little can cause dehydration.

Exercises

Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises can help women who have any type of urinary incontinence.¹ These exercises are especially useful for stress incontinence. But they may also help urge incontinence.

Lifestyle changes

Losing weight often helps stress incontinence. Remember that effective weight-loss programs depend on a combination of diet and exercise. For more information, see the topics:

• Weight Management.
• Fitness.
• Healthy Eating.

Sometimes making lifestyle changes can help with urge incontinence. Try to identify any foods that might irritate your bladder-including

• citrus fruits,
• chocolate,
• tomatoes,
• vinegars,
• dairy products,
• aspartame, and
• spicy foods-and cut back on them. Also, avoid
• alcohol and
• caffeine.

If you smoke, try to quit. This may reduce coughing, which may reduce your problem with incontinence. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.

Take steps to avoid constipation:

• Include fruits,
• vegetables,
• beans, and
• whole grains in your diet each day. These foods are high in fiber.

• Drink plenty of fluids, enough so that your urine is light yellow or clear like water.
• Get some exercise every day. Try to do moderate activity at least 2½ hours a week. Or try to do vigorous activity at least 1¼ hours a week. It's fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week.
• Take a fiber supplement, such as Citrucel or Metamucil, every day if needed. Start with a small dose and very slowly increase the dose over a month or more.
• Schedule time each day for a bowel movement. Having a daily routine may help. Take your time and don't strain when having a bowel movement.

Who to See

Health professionals who can diagnose and treat urinary incontinence include:

• Holistic Chiropractors
• Acupuncturists or Naturopaths
• Family medicine doctors.
• Physician assistants.
• Nurse practitioners.
• Obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYN).

Your health professional may want you to see a doctor who specializes in problems of the urinary tract (urologist) or who specializes in treating older people (geriatrician).

If you need surgery, it is important to find a surgeon who is experienced in the types of surgical procedures used to treat incontinence.

Treatment Overview

Urinary incontinence isn't an inevitable result of aging. Most women who have it can be helped or cured.

The best treatment depends on the cause of your incontinence and your personal preferences. Treatments include:

• Working with a Holistic Chiropractor, Acupuncturist or Naturopath who is well versed in treating this condition.
• Behavioral training, such as bladder training and timed urination.
• Lifestyle changes and pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises.
• Medicines.
• Medical devices.
• Surgery.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options

The Alternative Perspective

Dr. Huntoon has quite a large amount of experience resolving these challenging health conditions affecting the bladder. 

Knowing this upfront is the difference between treating symptoms versus addressing the cause.  Dr. Huntoon specializes in getting to the underlying cause and promises to help you back to health without all the medication and life-time treatments.

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor who can help you address the underlying cause for your condition is the first and best way to treat this.  Developing a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the factors that contribute to your overactive bladder is warranted. 

Acupuncture may help with overactive bladder. It has been shown to help some women as much as medicine.

Others have benefited from Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Naturopathy

Expectations

Expectations (prognosis)

If using Medication, you should expect to be on that for the rest of your life, if it handles the symptoms you experience.  If not, your doctor may ask you to "try" another medication until the two of you find one that works. 

Appreciate that using masking agents to "trick" your body into thinking it is functioning normally will only lead to bigger problems down the road.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Your Solution

Your Solution

Dr. Huntoon has quite a large amount of experience resolving these challenging health conditions affecting the bladder. 

Knowing this upfront is the difference between treating symptoms versus addressing the cause.  Dr. Huntoon specializes in getting to the underlying cause and promises to help you back to health without all the medication and life-time treatments.

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor who can help you address the underlying cause for your condition is the first and best way to treat this concern.  Developing a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the factors that contribute to your bladder condition is warranted. 

Many have also benefited when working with an Acupuncturist, or Naturopath.

Behavioral training, exercises and lifestyle changes, and medicines are usually tried second. If the problem does not get better, your doctor may try another treatment or do more tests.

When there is more than one cause for incontinence, the most significant cause is treated first, followed by treatment for the secondary cause, if needed.

Surgery

There are several different kinds of surgeries to correct stress incontinence, which occurs when weakened pelvic floor muscles allow the bladder neck and urethra to drop. These surgeries seek to lift the urethra, the bladder, or both into the normal position. This makes sneezing, coughing, and laughing less likely to make urine leak from the bladder.

Surgery works to cure stress incontinence better than any other treatment. If other treatments (like pelvic floor muscle exercises) haven't worked to control your incontinence, surgery may be your best option. What kind of surgery you have depends on your preference, your health, and your doctor's experience.

Surgery is done much less often for urge incontinence, and the results are not as good.

Prevention

You may reduce your chances for urinary incontinence by:

• Doing pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles.
• Staying at a healthy weight.
• Quitting smoking. Smoking causes coughing, which can make it harder to control your urine. Quitting smoking relieves coughing.

Working with a Holistic Chiropractor who can help you address the underlying cause for your condition is the first and best way to treat this concern.  Developing a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the factors that contribute to your bladder condition is warranted. 

Many have also benefited from seeing an Acupuncturist, Homeopath or Naturopath.