Urinary incontinence is the loss of control over your urine due to health or anatomical reasons. It is usually a symptom of a disease, condition, or abnormality, such as an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer, or neurological conditions that affect nerve signals involved in bladder control.
If you suffer from urinary incontinence, you may feel embarrassed to admit it and talk about it with others. However, doctors and medical professionals have seen thousands of patients who suffer from urinary incontinence. Your experience is hardly unique, but it’s not a normal part of the aging process, so you should not have to live with it.
A health care specialist can diagnose the underlying cause and recommend the best treatment for your urinary incontinence. If the issue is not due to a serious health condition, here are a few examples of nonsurgical urinary incontinence treatment methods that you may be prescribed.
Lifestyle Changes
Making lifestyle changes may help improve symptoms of urinary incontinence. These changes include reducing caffeine intake, fluid regulation, and weight loss. Caffeine is a known diuretic that triggers urinary incontinence in patients with urgency incontinence. Patients who are able to maintain a healthy weight see their urinary incontinence symptoms improve with time.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Training
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles through Kegel exercises can improve urinary incontinence. You do these exercises by tightening and then loosening the muscles that control urine, similar to the muscle contraction you do when you get the urge to go to the bathroom. Be careful not to do the exercises when you do feel like urinating.
Bladder Training
A type of behavioral therapy combined with pelvic floor muscle training, bladder training involves managing your urinary habits by increasing the time between emptying your bladder and filling it. The goal is to delay urination as a way to have better control of your bladder. It is recommended that you start delaying going by 5 to 10 minutes. Relaxation techniques can help you achieve this. Eventually, you should have fewer bathroom trips after a few months of bladder training.
The Use of Incontinence Products
As you gradually strengthen your pelvic muscles and slowly take control of your bladder, you may need to use incontinence products to better manage your condition. Incontinence products include incontinence pads, reusable underpants, handheld urinals, urethral or vaginal inserts for women, and a catheter, clamp, or urine collector for men.
If after conservative treatment methods, urinary incontinence still remains an issue, your doctor may recommend the use of medication, bulking agents, medical devices, and even surgery.
Urinary Incontinence Treatment in Texas
If you have a problem with managing the symptoms of urinary incontinence, the talented medical team at Star Medical Associates are happy to help you manage your condition. The treatments we recommend are comprehensive and highly individualized to your unique needs and circumstance.
We provide you with the information and guidance you need to successfully overcome urinary incontinence. To schedule a consultation, call us at (940) 382-6900 in Denton or (469) 301-2300 in Frisco or request an appointment today. Our staff will get back to you as soon as possible.
