The urinary tract is the passageway through which bodily waste products are filtered and through which urine is produced, stored, and excreted. The upper urinary tract consists of the kidneys and the ureters that are attached to them. The bladder and the urethra are in the lower urinary tract.

We remain continent when the organs (kidneys, bladder, brain), tubes (ureters and the urethra), and muscles (sphincter muscles and the pelvic floor muscles), as well as the spinal cord, that comprise and control the urinary tract function properly. Continence is achieved when the entire urinary system works like a well-tuned motor: when there is normal lower urinary tract support and normal functioning of the sphincter muscles.