Urinary Incontinence? Physiotherapy can treat that.

What is urinary incontinence (UI)? The international continence society defines UI as any involuntary loss of urine, whether that be a little or a lot. 

It is estimated that nearly 1.5 million Canadians, of all ages, suffer from some form of UI. Despite such a high prevalence, less than 50% of clients discuss their urinary incontinence and therefore go untreated. Under-reporting can be due to many factors but often it is because of a lack of understanding of incontinence, a feeling of embarrassment, and a lack of awareness of treatment options. 

The two most common forms of UI are Stress Incontinence and Urge incontinence:

Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI): the involuntary loss of a small amount of urine associated with a rise in intra-abdominal pressure, often caused by coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting, or high-impact sporting activities like running and jumping.

Urge Incontinence: the involuntary loss of urine associated with a strong desire to void (urgency). This can lead to a small or large amount of urine loss and is often associated with an overactive bladder. 

It is possible to experience both stress and urge incontinence together. The good news is, a trained pelvic health physiotherapist can help! A pelvic health therapist can work with you to determine what your triggers are, create a plan to help minimize leaks, evaluate the strength of your pelvic floor muscles and provide a home exercise plan. 

You don’t have to live with urinary incontinence, Lifemark can help.