What is bladder incontinence?

Urinary incontinence, or loss of bladder control is a symptom, not a disease.  A broad range of conditions and disorders can cause incontinence, including infections, weakness of certain muscles, some types of surgery, diseases or disorders involving nerves and/or muscles.  It can also occur as a result of pregnancy or childbirth.  There are four types of incontinence:

¤ Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, is the urgent need to pass urine and the inability to get to a toilet in time. It occurs when nerve passages along the pathway from the bladder to the brain are damaged, causing a sudden bladder contraction that cannot be consciously inhibited.
¤ Stress incontinence occurs when pelvic muscles have been damaged, causing the bladder to leak during exercise, coughing , sneezing, laughing, or any body movement which puts pressure on the bladder.
¤ Mixed incontinence is very common and occurs when symptoms of both stress and urge types of incontinence are present.
¤ Overflow incontinence refers to leakage that occurs when the quantity of urine produced exceeds the bladder's holding capacity.

What is the treatment?

Endeavor Therapy's "Continence Care and Pelvic Muscle Health Program" offers state-of-the-art multi modality treatment.  Treatment of bladder and pelvic muscle problems is based on traditional therapy techniques, behavioral strategies and computerized biofeedback assisted services.  Therapy may improve or relieve the symptoms of prolapse.  Therapy may also be indicated for pre-surgical conditioning of the pelvic floor musculature as in prostatectomy, bladder suspension and prolapse repairs.