Urinary incontinence is an expression used to describe the loss of control in regards to the bladder, both poor control and\or lack of control, including symptoms such as urgency and frequency.
Our bladder is an organ that is situated in the pelvis. Urine is waste, produced by the kidneys, which is contained in your bladder until you find a time to empty it. When you urinate, your bladder’s outlet muscles, the pelvic floor and urethral sphincter, relax and the bladder squeezes (contracts) which drains it of urine. The brain orders the bladder to empty by distributing a message which is designed to instruct it when to empty itself and, more importantly, when not to.
A Normal-functioning Bladder:
- Requires emptying 3-8 times per day (once every 3-4 hours)
- Might wake you up to pass urine at least once per night to urinate
- May wake you twice per night to urinate if you are over 65 years old
- Usually holds a maximum of 400-600ml of urine (the feeling of ‘needing to empty’ will trigger around 200-300 ml)
- Will alert you when it is *almost* full (allowing adequate time to find a toilet)
- Completely empties when urinating
- Will not ‘leak’ urine
Urinary incontinence can develop due to many causes. There are a variety of incontinence issues with a number of possible causes, some of which are stress, urge, overflow, functional and reflex incontinence. There are a good number of aids available to assist with all these forms of incontinence.
Stress incontinence is when actions, movements or activities which place increased pressure on the abdomen (and thus pushing down on the bladder) causes minor leakage of urine to occur. Stress incontinence is most frequent during activities such as laughing, sneezing, coughing, lifting, walking, or playing sport. This happens mostly to women or men as an after-effect of prostate surgery. Childbirth, pregnancy and menopause are the primary factors involved with stress incontinence in women. Childbirth can weaken and widen the pelvic floor muscles supporting the urethra which causes stress incontinence when factored with activities that push the bladder. During menopause the female hormone “oestrogen” is produced in lower levels. This can cause thinning to the urethra’s lining. The lining’s thickness is what keeps the urethra fully-sealed after you pass urine thus some women suffer stress incontinence throughout menopause. Men can also develop stress incontinence after they have had prostate surgery. This condition can take up to 6 - 12 months to subside and men should speak to a health care professional to assist in discussing the various options regarding the issue. Some other contributing factors to stress incontinence can include constipation, diabetes, bronchitis, obesity, chronic cough, asthma and many more.
Urge incontinence is best described as a strong and sudden feeling like you need to urinate. This type of incontinence is often linked with both the frequent need to pass urine, and also waking multiple times through the night to urinate. Many people who suffer from urge incontinence get very little to no warning- sometimes so little time that they end up wetting themselves or the bed before actually reaching a toilet. This type of incontinence is generally due to having an unstable or over-active bladder. This condition can develop at any age but becomes more prevalent as the person gets older. Urge incontinence has been connected to those with Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions that affect the brain's competency to send\receive messages to\from the bladder along their spinal cord. This factor can seriously decrease somebodies ability to build-up and store urine. Urge incontinence can also develop from constipation, enlarged prostate or it being hereditary, such as there being a history of poor bladder function. Sometimes the definitive cause of an over-active bladder will never be determined.
Overflow Incontinence Symptoms
Overflow incontinence is when the bladder cannot drain correctly and leakage is the result. Symptoms of this can include:
- Difficulty in urinating
- Weak urine stream
- Bladder feels like it is not empty even after immediate urination
- Little to no fore-warning given when bladder needs emptying
- Urinating during sleep
- Constant urinary-tract infection
- 'Dribbling' after urination
Causes of Overflow Incontinence
A number of factors can cause overflow incontinence:
- A full bladder causes a blockage to the urethra
- Prostate is enlarged
- Blockage to the urethra caused by a prolapse of pelvic organs
- The nerves controlling the bladder, pelvic floor muscles and urethra sphincter get damaged
- Various medical conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, Diabetes and some others
- Some medications can interfere with the bladders function (including many over-the-counter medicines or herbal remedies
Functional incontinence is when someone does not realize their need to urinate resulting in them not being able to reach the toilet in time... or occasionally passing\attempting to pass urine in an inappropriate place. Functional incontinence can be linked to depression, anxiety, anger, poor mobility, poor dexterity poor eyesight and a large percentage of those suffering from dementia. Some environmental factors have also been linked to functional incontinence, such as toilets being too difficult to access, poorly lit areas and low, inaccessible chairs that are challenging to get out of.
Reflex incontinence can occur when somebody has lost control of their bladder without any notice. This is generally due to a neurological impairment.
Mobility Shop keeps a great range of products to cater to all types of continence protection needs. There are sheets and bed-ware, undergarments (for both men and women), and many reusable items that can be sanitized in the convenience of your own home. Contact a Mobility Shop representative today to find out more about protection against urinary incontinence.
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