Incontinence

It's not something to be embarrassed or ashamed about...and it's certainly not something to keep from your doctor. Involuntary loss of urine, or urinary incontinence often occurs when sneezing, lifting or even laughing...yet, if you suffer from incontinence, it's no laughing matter.

Incontinence is not a hopeless condition with no remedy in sight. It is often curable and always manageable. Although incontinence touches the lives of three out of ten older people, it also affects many women during the child-bearing years. In fact, an increase of incontinence usually correlates with the more vaginal births a woman has had. Characteristically a female problem, incontinence affects more than 13 million Americans and appears to be a healthcare issue of growing importance.

There are several types of incontinence and it's not unusual for a person to suffer from more than one at the same time. The two most common types are stress incontinence and urge incontinence. If you have problems with stress incontinence, you are likely to leak urine while laughing, lifting, coughing or anything else of this nature. Urge incontinence occurs most commonly in older people and refers to the inability to stop leaking after feeling a strong urge to urinate.

While incontinence is rarely life threatening, it certainly can affect your quality of life. The Saint Francis Biofeedback Program can help you get your life back on track. No matter what your age, there is no reason incontinence should prevent you from leading an active life and from doing everything you want to do.

What exactly is biofeedback therapy and how can it help you with incontinence? In biofeedback therapy, a technician uses special instruments to view activity of your pelvic floor muscles. These instruments allow you and your therapist to actually see your response to pain or stress, enabling you to learn to use your pelvic muscles more effectively. With this information, the therapist can teach you ways to control symptoms of incontinence through muscle education. The Saint Francis Hospital Biofeedback Program encourages you to practice and gradually incorporate these "learned techniques" at home or work.

Other services provided by the Saint Francis Biofeedback Program include behavioral techniques to manage symptoms related to: vascular disorders such as migraine headaches and hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders which cause headache, back or neck pain, as well as physical problems resulting from anxiety or stress. For more information on the Saint Francis Hospital Biofeedback Program, please call 918-481-2919.