Urinary Incontinence + Leakage

Experiencing leaks? Whether it’s after having a baby, due to aging, or other reasons, it’s common but never normal!

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• Stress Incontinence: Leaks happen with pressure on the abdomen, like when you sneeze, cough, laugh, or exercise

• Urgency Incontinence: A sudden, strong urge to empty your bladder

• Mixed Incontinence: A combination of stress and urgency leakage

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Remember, Kegels aren’t always the answer. We need to assess the overall function of your pelvic floor, core, and hips to create the best and most appropriate home exercise plan for your symptoms.

Dysuria

Feeling pain or discomfort, or having trouble urinating? Here are some common issues with emptying the bladder:

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• Hesitation: Having trouble starting the flow of urine

• Stop-and-Start Urine Flow: Your urine starts and stops involuntarily

• Weak Stream: Only getting a small trickle or a dribble when you try to pee

• Straining to Pee: Having to push hard to empty your bladder

• Incomplete Emptying: Feeling like you can’t completely empty your bladder

Chronic Bladder Pain

If you constantly struggle with bladder pain, you’re not alone. Here are some common issues that might be causing it:

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• Chronic or Recurring Urinary Tract Infection (UTIs): These are caused by bacteria (often E.coli) invading the bladder 

• Interstitial Cystitis: Also called IC, this is when the bladder lining gets irritated, making it feel like you have a UTI all the time, even though there’s no infection

• Pelvic Floor Tightness: Muscle tightness around the urethra

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​IC and Pelvic Floor Tightness are often mistakenly treated as UTIs, leading to multiple rounds of unnecessary antibiotics. Unfortunately, this can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vaginal and vulvar areas, potentially causing chronic yeast infections.

How does pelvic floor physical therapy help?

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy at Well Women Physical Therapy is all about understanding and caring for your entire body. It involves a complete assessment of your body and uses hands-on techniques, therapeutic exercises, breathing methods, pain neuroscience education, lifestyle advice, and basic nutrition tips to tackle issues in your abdomen, back, hips, and pelvic area. This therapy can be a game-changer for women, helping to relieve pain, improve bowel and bladder function, boost overall pelvic stability, and empower you with self-care techniques. Ultimately, it’s about improving your quality of life so you can move and function daily without pain.