How Physical Therapy Improves Bladder Control

More than 12 million Americans experience urinary incontinence each year. If you have incontinence, you may experience urine leakage, trouble urinating and/or intense pressure to urinate. It can disrupt your daily life and lead to embarrassing accidents.

Fortunately, physical therapy can help 85 to 90% of people gain better bladder control in just 1 to 2 appointments. At Bon Secours Physical Therapy, our certified physical therapists offer customized treatment, including:

Evaluation of Your Pelvic Floor

Urinary incontinence is most often caused by weakening in the pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the bottom of your pelvis that help you control your bladder and bowel. Aging, pregnancy and other factors can cause your pelvic floor to weaken, so you no longer have proper control.

During your first appointment, your physical therapist will evaluate your pelvic floor muscles. They will identify any weakness or dysfunction that may cause your incontinence. Your physical therapist will use this information to create a personalized exercise program for you.

Biofeedback Therapy

You can’t see your pelvic floor muscles, so you may not know when you are using them correctly. But you need to be able to tell when you are flexing or relaxing your pelvic floor to strengthen it and gain better control.

Biofeedback therapy uses sensors to help you ensure you are using your pelvic floor during exercises. These sensors or placed on your abdomen and butt. As you do exercises, the sensors will show on a screen if you are using the correct muscles. 

As you learn more about how it feels you use your pelvic floor, you can do exercises at physical therapy and at home to strengthen your muscles. Your physical therapist will give you customized exercises you can do every day to stop incontinence. 

Electrical Stimulation

Gentle, electrical stimulation can also increase your awareness of using your pelvic floor muscles. Your physical therapist can attach small pads to your lower abdomen. Small electrical currents flow into the pelvic floor to cause the muscles to contract. 

Electrical stimulation can strengthen your muscles and help you understand what it feels like when your pelvic floor muscles move, so you can better perform exercises. 

At Bon Secours Physical Therapy, we use the latest techniques and personalized exercises to help you overcome urinary incontinence. Our certified physical therapists have the training and experience you need for better bladder control.  

Experience freedom from urinary incontinence; contact Bon Secours Physical Therapy today to schedule your first appointment.