Pelvic floor rehabilitation

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Perineology GIS

Diseases
Treatment
Charter

Diseases

Treatment

Charter

Diseases

Urinary Incontinence

Incontinence: what is it?

Urinary or anal incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine or feces.

These involuntary losses are not a normal symptom of aging. It is a common phenomenon that affects both men and women.

Women are, however, somewhat more susceptible, especially after pregnancy, a hysterectomy, or during hormonal changes at menopause. These circumstances weaken the muscles of the pelvic floor.

In men, incontinence can occur due to a prostate problem (e.g., increased volume) or prostate surgery.

Incontinence is often an embarrassing problem that can lead to social isolation. This situation is unfortunate as various therapeutic options exist (general measures, medications, physiotherapy, surgery). It is first and foremost important to talk to your doctor about the problem, who will do everything possible to help you.

There are several types:

Urine loss occurs due to increased intra-abdominal pressure, for example when coughing, laughing, sneezing, or during physical exertion. It is mainly caused by weakness of the pelvic floor muscles.

This type of urine loss is characterized by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate. This happens because the bladder muscle contracts uncontrollably, and often the person does not have time to reach the toilet.

Many people suffer from both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

This means there is hyperactivity of the bladder muscle of neurological origin or reflex incontinence.

The symptoms are comparable to urge incontinence, but the person does not feel the need to urinate.

This is caused by an obstruction below the bladder (increased prostate volume, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethral stenosis).

In this case, urine loss does not occur through the urethra, but through other body openings, such as the skin, intestine, or vagina.

Treatment of incontinence

As for the treatment of incontinence, let's return to physiotherapy.

The physiotherapist must first clearly understand the patient's problem. It is important to explain how the bladder works. Often, the people concerned have adopted very bad habits that only worsen incontinence. The rehabilitation of the pelvic floor muscles is crucial. The physiotherapist assesses the strength of these muscles located in the pelvic area. Indeed, the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles allows us to exercise conscious control over urination. These specific contractions are recorded by vaginal or anal probe and help to work on the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles. The patient can visualize the contractions through a screen. It is important to learn how to correctly contract the pelvic floor and to continue practicing the exercises at home.

On the other hand, the physiotherapist may use specific electrical stimulation protocols to strengthen a very weak pelvic floor or to treat urgency incontinence.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation has proven effective in preventing and treating incontinence, but the success of the treatment depends on the patient's participation and motivation.