Incontinence is a really common problem and whilst it is not life threatening it does impact on quality of life.
Our women’s health physio can help with two conditions which are common after childbirth. These are stress incontinence which is when activities such as sneezing, laughing, and exercise cause a leak of urine, and urge incontinence which is when you feel a sudden and very urgent need to get to the toilet.
Many of our patients suffer in silence for a long time before seeking help but we are here to support you and encourage you to take action and reclaim your life by booking an assessment with our women’s health expert.
Treatment plans are personalised to you and often include pelvic floor muscle training. It is notoriously difficult to know if you are doing your pelvic floor exercises correctly, but with the help of our ultrasound machine, you can see your pelvic floor moving in real time which means you can see and feel for yourself what ‘right’ is like.
If you are concerned about your pelvic floor function or anything to do with incontinence, book online or contact us to make an appointment with Jenny.
Watch our conversation about incontinence
Watch the conversation between physiotherapists Jenny and Jo and listen to them talk about topics such as stress incontinence, practical tips for managing symptoms, urge incontinence, why it happens and how it can be treated and what a women’s health physiotherapist can do to help.
Frequently asked questions about incontinence
I often have a little leak of urine when I sneeze or laugh. I thought it would get better, but it hasn’t. How can you help?
This is a really common problem experienced by women after childbirth or at certain times in their life. By booking yourself a women’s health assessment we can check your pelvic floor, see where the weakness is, check your technique and modify if required.
Once we have this information, we will give you a personalised training programme to get you back to doing the activities you enjoy without the embarrassment or fear of leaking.
When I go out, I always look for the nearest toilet so I can be sure to get there in time. This is having an impact on my life. Why is this happening?
This is another common problem. It may be that your pelvic floor is weak and unable to hold the bladder, or it could be that you have developed habits or that the brain is interpreting signals that the bladder is full when it is actually only a quarter or half full.
Women’s health physio can help to decipher the main problem so we can then identify a solution. This may involve you doing more pelvic floor exercises or learning deferring techniques which will help to retrain the bladder so it can withhold more urine so you can go for longer without having to worry or rush to the toilet.
Is it normal to leak urine whilst running or jumping after giving birth?
No! It is a common misconception that it is normal to leak urine after birth and as it can be an embarrassing subject to talk about, many women suffer in silence. You are likely to have some urinary incontinence for six weeks post giving birth but if you are still leaking after this we recommend an appointment with our women’s health physio who can advise on pelvic floor strengthening and give tips to ensure the timing of your pelvic floor is working effectively.
I always need to know where the nearest toilet is when I go out so I can get there in time. Is this normal?
This is known as ‘urge incontinence’ or an ‘overactive bladder’. It is a sudden over-riding urge to get to the toilet - you may be able to hold on until you get there or you may have some urinary leakage before you reach the toilet. It is a strong urge, which feels as though your bladder is full to bursting, however the amount of urine passed is relatively small. This can be due to a number of factors – including a bladder infection – so always check with your GP first, but if it is due to an overactive bladder it is because the bladder is sending signals to your brain to tell you it is full when it is in fact not. We can help explore why this is happening - it can be certain drinks irritating the bladder or habitual patterns that are proving difficult to break. The bladder can be retrained to stretch further before signals are sent to the brain giving you that urge to rush to the toilet. Jenny, our women’s health physio will be able to guide you through finding the right techniques for you.
Is it normal to get up in the night to go to the toilet?
In a word ‘No’! Up until approximately 65 years of age, our bladder should be able to stretch and expand through the night without the need to get up and go to the toilet. However, frequent waking and feeding a young baby in the night will often prompt you to go to the toilet which is absolutely fine. The problem comes when the bladder learns these patterns or it becomes a habit to go to the toilet during the night even though your baby is sleeping through.
Our women’s health physiotherapist can help to provide tips and advice on how to retrain the bladder. Distracting yourself from the urge to go can be as simple as counting backwards from 100 or working through a times table until the urge settles allowing you to go back to sleep. This can take time depending on how often and when you are waking in the night, but with perseverance the bladder can be retrained.
