What is incontinence?
Incontinence (in-CONT-ti-nunce) is the loss of bladder or bowel control. There are four basic types of incontinence: • 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. • Urge incontinence, the urgent need to pass urine and the inability to get to a toilet in time, 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. • Mixed incontinence is very common and occurs when the quantity of urine produced exceeds the bladder’s holding capacity. • Overflow incontinence refers to leakage that occurs when the quantity of urine produced exceeds the bladder’s holding capacity. Incontinence from surgery follows such operations as hysterectomies, cesarean sections, prostatectomies, lower intestinal surgery, or rectal surgery. This is not conside
Incontinence (in-CONT-ti-nunce), or loss of bladder or bowel control, is a symptom – not a disease in itself. A broad range of conditions and disorders can cause incontinence, including birth defects, pelvic surgery, injuries to the pelvic region or to the spinal cord, neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis, infection, and degenerative changes associated with aging. It can also occur as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. Incontinence is a problem of the urinary system, which is composed of two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and a urethra. The kidneys remove waste products from the blood and continuously produce urine. The muscular, tube-like ureters move urine from the kidneys to the bladder, where it is stored until it flows out of the body through the tube-like urethra. A circular muscle, called the sphincter, controls the activity of the urethra. It is not a part of the urinary system but can play a role in incontinence. Normally, the bladder stores the urine t
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of large or little amounts of urine. This problem is thought to affect 13 million Americans and impacts the physical, emotional, and financial well being of individuals and their families. It is estimated that fewer than half of those who suffer with incontinence seek help for this problem. It is important to know that there is treatment available for incontinence, and that surgery is not the only option.
