Hi friends! Leakage can happen to anyone at any time. It may surprise us while out on a walk, catch us off guard with an untimely sneeze, or any other time during our day. Whether it’s “just a drop,” a diaper full, or some amount in between, it’s worthy of attention.
There are two main types of urinary leakage, also called incontinence. The first type called stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is urine leakage with activity or exercise. The action causes increased force or "stress" on the bladder, and depending on the severity of your SUI, leaking could be brought on by more or less strenuous activities (Ghaderi, 2014). The second type called urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is urine leakage with a strong, often sudden, urge to pee.
People of all genders and all ages have layers of muscle that support their pelvic organs called pelvic floor muscles. They start in the front at the pubic bone and stretch to the tail bone in the back, functioning like an internal hammock at the base of the pelvis. Your pelvic floor muscles should be strong and coordinated to keep the urine exit canal (urethra) closed until you choose to empty your bladder.
So what can we do about leakage? Here’s four tips to help.
#1 Stretches
Stretching is great for practically every area of our bodies, but it is especially important for the pelvic floor muscles and the hip muscles. We need strong (but also flexible) pelvic floor muscles for them to be able to do their job. Stretches like happy baby and frog pose help to lengthen muscles.
#2 Quick Flicks of the Pelvic Floor Muscles
Quick flicks, called maximum voluntary contractions, are quick full strength squeezes of the pelvic floor muscles. These quick squeezes help to build healthy muscle tone and are part of a comprehensive pelvic floor training routine. These strong squeezes will also strengthen the pelvic floor to help stop leakage with forceful activities like sneezing, laughing, or jumping. Try the pelvic floor workout with Jeanice in the video below.
#3 Pelvic Bracing
The pelvic brace, sometimes called a knack, engages the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles to close off the urethra (where pee exits the body) to prevent leakage. Coordinating pelvic floor and core activation during the rapid rises in pressure with forceful activities, like sneezing, is important, but can often be hard to perform at first. In the video below, Jeanice will teach you how to perform the pelvic brace so that you can use it with any activity. When you are coughing or sneezing, remind yourself to “squeeze and sneeze” to prevent leakage.
#4 Hip Exercises
The pelvic floor muscles and the hip muscles are neighbors. They work together to help us prevent urinary leakage. When the hip muscles are strong and flexible it helps the pelvic floor muscles do their job well and vice versa. On the other hand, when one group of muscles is weak and/or tight, it makes it more difficult for the other group of muscles to do their job well. That’s why hip strength and flexibility exercises can often be the missing link in pelvic floor muscle training programs. There are so many exercise options to help the hips that there is no one size fits all program. Try a free 14 day trial to Pelvic Flicks for exercise videos with pelvic floor physical therapist Jeanice Mitchell.
Remember, there IS hope for those who wear dark clothing to hide leakage, feel forced to wear pads “just in case,” or feel uncomfortable with their bodies. You don’t need to live with any amount of urinary leakage!
This blog is not intended to be medical advice and should not replacement evaluation and treatment by a licensed healthcare provider. If you are experiencing any urinary leakage, talk with your medical providers. You would likely benefit from seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist or occupational therapist. You can find one near you at www.mypfm.com/find-a-pt.
To learn more about your pelvic floor muscles, check out these great resources:
Watch our YouTube playlist on Bladder Concerns and Your Pelvic Floor
Try the myPelvic Bra external support
Watch Netflix for Your Pelvic Floor at Pelvic Flicks
Visit our Amazon store for our favorite pelvic health products
Sign up for our email newsletter
For providers, check out myPFM Academy to learn more so you can better help your clients. With two membership options, you have access to courses, a growing library of patient handouts, hundreds of custom sharable images and infographics, and multilingual resources. At myPFM Academy you’ll find courses like:
Urinary Incontinence and Urogynecology with Dr. Tessa Krantz, MD
The Hip and Urinary Incontinence: A look beyond the pelvic floor at what keeps us dry with Lauren Trosch, PT, DPT, OCS
Surgical Treatments for Stress Urinary Incontinence with Dr. Sarah Boyles, MD, MPH, FACOG, FPMRS
Postpartum Urinary Incontinence with Dr. Lauren Glugale, MD
Treatments for OAB with Dr. Sarah Boyles, MD, MPH, FACOG, FPMRS
Written by Emily Reul, PT, DPT
References
Ghaderi, F., & Oskouei, A. E. Physiotherapy for women with stress urinary incontinence: a review article. J Phys Ther Sci. 2014;26(9), 1493–1499. doi:10.1589/jpts.26.1493
Comments