INCONTINENCE refers to involuntary leakage of urine.  There are several types of incontinence.  Half of all women experience some form of incontinence at some point in their lives and approximately one third develop a significant regular problem.   After the age of 60 the incidents of incontinence increase, but many women in their 20s, 30s and 40s have incontinence.  A study has shown that 25 million Americans suffer from incontinence and many do so in silence because they think it's normal or are too embarrassed to discuss the condition with their healthcare provider.  People suffering from incontinence will often also suffer from a poor quality of life.  This may include low self esteem, sleep deprivation symptoms of anxiety and depression, social isolation.  It is not uncommon for these patients to struggle with handling normal activities of daily living such as working, shopping, participating in family and other social activities primarily due to the fear of having an urination accident in public.  It is also not uncommon for people suffering from urinary incontinence to also have some degree of fecal incontinence.

STRESS Incontinence is defined as the leakage of uring during physical activity such as walking, running, skipping, jogging, standing from a seated position or sitting from a standing position, coughing, sneezing, or laughing.

OVERACTIVE Bladder is the common catch phrase for a variety of incontinence issues medically referred to as; urge, frequency, urgency, urgency-frequency, overflow, functional and transient.  You may most likely associate these problems with situations like "the feeling of not being able to get to the bathroom in time"; starting to urinate "when the key is in the lock"; having an intense urge to urinate but little urinary production.  Functional incontinence is when the patient has some communication barrier and can not let others know of their bathroom need.  Transient incontinence is temporary and usually the result of an infection or a side effect of a medication.

MS and Neurogenic Badder conditions are managed by medication, bulking agent therapy (Coaptite), pelvic floor rehabilitation, neuromodulation therapy (acupuncture and Interstim Therapy).  Urodynamics will be performed to help diagnosis the specific problem.  You can also ask your physician about the use of BOTOX for urinary control problems.

Stress Incontinence is managed by medication, pelvic floor strengthening, bulking agents (Coaptite), modification of personal hydrating habits and surgical interventions.   Urodynamics will be performed to help diagnosis the specific problem.

Overactive Bladder is managed by medications, pelvic floor strenghtening, bulking agents (Coaptite), neuromodulation (acupuncture, percutanceous nerve stimulation and InterStim therapy).  Urodynamics will be performed to help diagnosis the specific problem.  In addition modifications of personal hydration habits may be necessary.   You can also ask your physician about the use of BOTOX for urinary control problems.