Addressing Female Incontinence

Understanding Female Urinary Incontinence

While this bladder control issue can be a sensitive subject for many, you don't have to accept it as a part of the aging process. But it doesn't have to be. The health experts at Northern Inyo Hospital are here to shed some light on this commonly ignored pelvic floor issue and how it can be addressed.

Common Causes

Urinary incontinence is a condition characterized by the loss of bladder control, resulting in leaking urine. Typically this loss of bladder control is caused by damage to the muscles and nerves in the pelvic floor, which are responsible for helping you to hold and pass urine. Some common issues that lead to this type of damage include:

• Being overweight or obese.
• Constipation.
• Nerve damage from injury.
• Surgery.

Although both men and women can be affected by the loss of bladder control, it more commonly affects older women. Women tend to be affected by urinary incontinence more than men due to the following factors:

• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Menopause

How Rehab Can Help

When it comes to addressing female urinary incontinence, treatment can depend on your condition's cause, type, and severity. However, seeing a certified therapist can help to develop a treatment plan specific to you and your individual needs.

More often than not, treatment programs for urinary incontinence include a combination of behavioral changes and pelvic floor exercises. your therapist may suggest the following:

• Contracting and releasing the pelvic floor muscle.
• Bladder training.
• Double voiding the bladder.
• Scheduling restroom times.
• And cutting back on fluids in your diet.

Rehabilitation Services in Bishop, CA

At Northern Inyo Healthcare District, our team of orthopedists take a holistic approach to care, focusing on you as a whole person rather than specific symptoms or conditions. We provide therapeutic services, working cooperatively with physicians, nursing staff, diagnostic imaging, environmental services, nutritional services, information technology and all hospital units – doing whatever is needed to achieve total patient care.

For more information about the rehabilitation services at Northern Inyo Healthcare District or to schedule an appointment, call (760) 873-2605.