Urinary incontinence is not a condition that occurs on its own. Most of the time, it is a symptom of another medical problem which you may not be aware of yet. This particular condition affects people from all age groups, both men and women, and occurs all over the world. Many people lose hope after they realize they are suffering from incontinence. The idea of wearing “diapers” all day long to prevent embarrassment can be scary, but this shouldn’t stop you from seeking treatment options for incontinence and for the underlying condition causing it. Always seek medical advice from your doctor for the right urinary incontinence treatment.
The first thing a doctor will do is to determine what type of incontinence you have. Whether you suffer from stress, urge, overflow, or functional incontinence, there will always be a treatment option for you.
Behavioral methods involve bladder re-training, lifestyle changes, and diet management. For bladder re-training, the patient needs to control urination by delaying it once the urge is felt. On the other hand, for those who control their urination a lot because of work or other “important” matters need to carry out some lifestyle changes such that they need to go to the bathroom as soon as they feel like urinating to prevent overflow incontinence and even, urinary tract infections. As for diet management, it is best if carbonated and caffeinated drinks are eliminated from your diet since these tend to be bladder irritants.
Incontinence can also be managed by doing physical therapy such as the Kegel exercise routine. This particular exercise targets the pelvic floor muscles and strengthens it for better urinary control. There are also medications that can help keep your continence problem at bay. Anti-cholinergic medicines are prescribed to calm overactive bladder while certain anti-depressants are used to treat mixed incontinence. For incontinence due to muscle loss in women, there are topical creams that are applied to the urinary area to help them tone up. There are also medical devices like urethral inserts that are inserted into the vaginal cavity like tampons to absorb accidental leaks from occurring. » Read more: Different Treatment Options for Urinary Incontinence