Doctors treat urinary continence with exercise, diet, medication and possibly surgery. Treatment usually depends on the type of incontinence a patient has.
Urinary Incontinence Treatment
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See All 2 AnswersKegel exercises are exercises that are done to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles in women. Pelvic floor muscles help support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum.
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See All 3 AnswersPelvic floor, or Kegel, exercises can be done to treat urinary incontinence. Kegel exercises are done by tightening the pelvic floor muscles. The key is to make sure that you are using the right muscles. A lot of times, people strengthen or tighten up their buttocks or their thighs. Those are not the right muscles. The way you know it's the right muscle is that if you are urinating, those are the muscles you would clamp down in order to stop midstream. Men should squeeze the striated muscle, which is what they would squeeze to stop urine flow midstream. That strengthens the pelvic floor muscles.
Do 10 sets, holding each for one second when you squeeze down. You could do three sets a day with a focused effort. It’s just like if you're going to lift weights in the gym to work on your biceps. It takes time to build strength.
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Sigma Nursing answeredSee All 2 AnswersSome prescription medications can treat incontinence by calming the bladder. Other medications, such as topical creams, may help strengthen and invigorate urethra and vaginal tissues, which can help incontinence. In other cases, certain antidepressants, such as Imipramine, have been shown to provide relief.
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RealAge answeredSee All 2 AnswersSurgery is usually considered a last resort after all other treatments have been tried for urinary incontinence or overactive bladder (OAB). But in some cases, when incontinence is caused by a bladder that has moved out of place, surgery may be the best option. The most common surgeries for incontinence involve lifting and supporting the bladder—either with sutures, tape, or a sling—closer to its original position.
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UCLA Health answeredSee All 4 AnswersTreatment for urinary incontinence depends on the type of incontinence and cause of the problem. Treatment options range from bladder-muscle exercises, bladder training, and scheduled toileting to medications and surgery.
Left untreated, urinary incontinence puts one at increased risk for rashes, urinary-tract infections, sores and skin infections. Anyone experiencing symptoms should see a doctor immediately to be properly evaluated and treated.
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MountainView Hospital answeredSee All 2 AnswersBotox injections can be used to treat urge urinary incontinence. Botox works to relax the muscles of the bladder, and how the procedure is performed.
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Urge incontinence is involuntary leakage associated with a sudden compelling desire to void. Urge incontinence is a symptom of overactive bladder and can be accompanied by urinary frequency, urgency and/or waking up during the night to urinate. Initial treatments include bladder retraining, medications, avoidance of dietary irritants and pelvic floor physical therapy. When conservative therapies fail to provide significant relief, other options include Botox into the bladder, a pacemaker device for the bladder called InterStim, or percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation.
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See All 2 AnswersStress incontinence—the type of incontinence caused by coughing, sneezing or lifting something heavy—can be treated a variety of ways, beginning with pelvic floor muscle exercises. Just like your arms and legs, your pelvic floor is made of muscles that weaken if you don’t use them. Kegel exercises, where you squeeze the pelvic floor to gain strength, can improve incontinence; if you give that squeeze while coughing or sneezing, you can make that sphincter tighter and prevent an accident. Kegel exercises must be done correctly, however, like lifting weights, you need to squeeze and hold for five seconds to build muscle tone. Patients who have trouble with the exercises can work with pelvic floor therapy specialists.
Other treatments for stress incontinence involve putting bulking agents into the urethra to make the urethral lumen tighter so that you won’t leak as much. Doctors can also insert a sling, which wraps around the urethra like a hammock and supports it. Injectable therapy is another option, particularly for people who are older and may not be candidates for bigger surgery like a sling.