Bladder Leakage
Bladder leakage (urinary incontinence) is an involuntary loss of urine. This loss can vary – you might leak a few drops or completely empty your bladder. Bladder leakage is very common, occurring in 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men – that’s more than a whopping 7.2 million Australians who have difficulty controlling their bladder.
This condition often goes unspoken. Many quietly live with it for years, missing out on the things they love, thinking there's no solution. When left untreated, it can feel frustrating, even isolating, affecting everything from work and exercise to social outings and intimacy. You might find yourself constantly planning around toilet access, relying on pads or needing to change clothes more often than you'd like. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
We have good news for you.
Rest assured, you're not alone, and the good news is that support is available. Our experienced postgraduate qualified pelvic health physiotherapists understand how bladder leakage can affect your life, and we’re here to help. Most people can be treated successfully, and at Pelvic Health Matters, you’ll find the expert care and genuine support you need to feel confident again.
Millions of Aussies suffer from bladder leakage, yet most don’t do anything about it. But there's good news - our postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists can help treat it.
Common Signs & Symptoms Of Bladder Leakage
Everyone is different, but if you suffer from bladder leakage, you’re probably familiar with some of the following:
- Urine loss when you:
- Cough, sneeze or blow your nose
- Walk, exercise or play sport
- Bend or lift
- Dance or laugh
- Have sex
- Rush to the toilet or undress to wee
- Drive into the driveway or open the door
- Hear running water or the freezer section of the supermarket
- Have finished emptying your bladder
- Have no specific warning sign or urge to urinate
- Feeling worried or anxious that you’ll leak urine
- Wearing a liner or pad for protection
- Wearing dark clothes with a fear of wearing light colours
- Avoiding exercise, socialising or doing things you enjoy
Types of bladder leakage
Stress Urinary Incontinence
This is the most common type of urine leakage. But the term ‘stress’ doesn’t mean emotional stress. It means the physical pressure created in your tummy area outside the bladder. SUI happens during activities that put pressure on the bladder. And this causes urine to escape through the urethra (the tube from the bladder that urine passes through). If the pressure on the bladder is greater than the urethra can cope with, you’ll experience leakage.
Urge Urinary Incontinence
This is an involuntary loss of urine associated with an overwhelming urge to empty your bladder, even when it isn’t full. You might find it happens as you arrive home or on the way to the toilet – usually when it isn’t the right place or time!
Post Micturition Dribble
'Micturition' is another word for urination, emptying urine from your bladder. So, a post-micturition dribble is leakage that occurs soon after you’ve emptied your bladder. It usually happens when you’re getting dressed or leaving the toilet.
Risk factors & causes of bladder leakage
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth
- Chronic cough
- Constipation
- Poor pelvic floor muscle function
- Poor fluid & toileting habits
- Prostate Surgery
- Ageing
- Reduced mobility
- Menopause
- Obesity
- Neurological conditions
- Hysterectomy
- Strenuous sports
- Urinary tract infections
Our Proven Pathway to Treating Bladder Leakage
Discover what matters
You’re assessed as a whole person
We begin by taking the time to learn all about you – as a whole person, not just a patient. So, your postgraduate qualified pelvic health physiotherapist will gather the following information:
- QUESTIONNAIRE: You’ll complete a pelvic health questionnaire online before your first visit. This helps us understand your history, current health concerns and what matters to you.
- 1-on-1 CONSULTATION: Here, we’ll take the time to learn about you and your bladder leakage. We believe a holistic approach enables us to understand how your specific physical, emotional and lifestyle factors influence your pelvic health.
- THOROUGH ASSESSMENT: This includes a pelvic floor examination, bladder scan, bladder diary, paper towel test, and an accident diary/ pad weigh diary and questionnaires to understand your thoughts, feelings and environment.
- CONNECTING THE DOTS: Now that we’ve discovered so much about you and your bladder leakage, we can explore how it all fits together. This might include understanding how your fluid intake can impact whether or not you leak with a cough, or how much you worry about getting to the toilet on time is impacting having an accident on the way.
- SET GOALS: We’ll help you set meaningful pelvic health goals such as:
- Walk with my friends and not have a leak
- Chase my kids in the park
- Go dancing with my besties without wetting my pants
- Not worry about where the toilets are
Restore what matters
You’ll have a personalised pelvic health plan.
Step 2 is where the action happens. Together, we’ll choose the best research-proven treatment options for your lifestyle. You’ll learn how your bladder works, what’s not working and what you can do to improve your bladder control.
Next, we’ll start Pelvic Floor Muscle Training. You’ll learn valuable new skills and connect with hidden muscles that you didn’t know you had. We’ll create an individualised program based on your needs. And you’ll learn how to use these muscles when you need them – when you cough, sneeze, laugh, walk, run or are on the way to the toilet.
We’ll also help improve the strength and endurance of your pelvic floor muscles and learn strategies to calm your bladder. Plus, you’ll be given excellent resources and tools to help you progress. You’ll be armed with all the things!
ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENTS: Together, we’ll work out how often we should see each other. We’ll agree on what works best for you, your commitments and your finances.
Enjoy what matters
You’ll be living your best life.
The final step is ensuring you achieve all the meaningful goals you set at the start of your journey. You might also find that you can embrace new possibilities you hadn’t considered, such as doing a fun run or travelling to Europe. You’ll have all the valuable skills to ensure bladder control in all situations – without running back to appointments all the time.
Sometimes, though, life’s twists and turns can throw things off track, and you might find yourself needing a little reset. A nasty virus with lots of coughing, changes in your bowel habits, or the challenges that come with pregnancy or childbirth can all make bladder control more difficult. No matter what’s going on, just know that we’re always here for you, ready to help whenever you need it.
Read about Rita 72 yrs, Margaret 75 yrs, Ron 63 yrs, Hazel 55 yrs
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Pelvic Health Matters
New name.
Same exceptional care.
Formerly known as Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy, our new name reflects both what we believe in and what we do. We have an unwavering belief that pelvic health matters for everyone, at every stage of life.
Same phone number: 03 8823 8300
New email: physio@pelvichealth.com.au