Pelvic floor strengthening and relaxation for urinary incontinence

Causes of uncontrolled urine loss

Most people affected suffer from stress incontinence. However, an overactive bladder (irritable bladder) also affects quality of life, as do the mixed forms of both types. It is important to differentiate between the various forms, as their treatments differ. The following symptoms can occur:

• stress incontinence: loss of urine when straining, such as coughing, sneezing, lifting weights, walking, standing up or doing sport
• overactive bladder (irritable bladder, urge incontinence): strong, unsuppressible urge to urinate, sometimes with involuntary, sudden, uncontrollable loss of urine; in some cases, the urge to urinate is so strong that you have to get up several times during the night to empty your bladder

How do you recognise urinary incontinence?

In addition to the clinical assessment in our pelvic floor centre , physiotherapy offers various options for determining the severity of incontinence.

The severity of the incontinence can be determined during the initial consultation with the patient The leakage test (PAD test) provides information about the amount of urine loss. The cough test provides information on whether stress incontinence is present. In addition, a drinking and micturition diary is started. Analysing the diary together during therapy provides an overview of the amount drunk, the number of visits to the toilet and the amount of urine excreted.

Recognising and treating urinary incontinence individually

Treatment through physiotherapy

There are various ways to treat urge or stress incontinence: The focus here is on awareness training, strengthening and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles.

In order to make the activity of the pelvic floor visible, the tension of the pelvic floor muscles can be visualised using a vaginal or anal probe and the biofeedback programme. Other components of the therapy include learning how to reduce internal abdominal pressure during everyday activities and tips on how to calm the bladder. To ensure the success of the treatment, an individual home programme is also developed.

The pelvic floor physiotherapy team places particular emphasis on individual counselling and support for patients. The exact situation and the planned steps are explained using pelvic floor models and other illustrative material. Patients receive information material and, if desired, home equipment. The therapy always takes place as an individual treatment in a quiet environment, carried out by qualified physiotherapists with recognised additional training in pelvic floor therapy for women and men.

Treatment by means of an operation

If conservative methods do not lead to the desired result, surgery may be necessary. The operation can affect either the bladder or the pelvic floor. Thanks to the many different options available, we can offer you individualised therapy that precisely meets your needs and improves your quality of life in the long term. The specialists at the Pelvic Floor Centre at Bethesda Hospital can also treat complex cases on an interdisciplinary basis and are happy to help you.

Almost every third woman is affected

Urinary incontinence is one of the most common disorders in women. On average, 30% of the female population is affected, with the different forms occurring with varying frequency at different stages of life. In general, stress urinary incontinence is the most common, accounting for 50% of cases. This is followed by overactive bladder (15%), which can occur either as a dry form without urine loss (60%) or as a wet form (40%). In 30 % of cases, it is a mixed form.

In men, around 11% are affected by urinary incontinence.