Bladder

In Australia, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 10 men have a bladder problem.

 

Leakage when you cough? Needing to rush to the toilet?

Do any of these bladder symptoms sound familiar to you?

  • Stress urinary incontinence:

    Accidentally leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or during exercise (running, heavy lifting, high impact sports such as netball)

  • Urgency:

    Suddenly having a strong urge to pass urine and you find it very hard to control the urge. This might happen when you hear running water or put the key in the door when coming home.

  • Urge urinary incontinence:

    Accidentally leaking urine on the way to the toilet because the urge to urinate was too sudden and strong

  • Frequency:

    Feeling like you need to pass urine a lot more frequently than you should

  • Nocturia:

    Needing to get up more than once overnight to go to the toilet

  • Incomplete emptying:

    You feel that your bladder hasn’t completely emptied, which makes you feel like you need to empty your bladder again soon after

  • Urinary hesitancy:

    Difficulty starting your urine flow, needing to strain to start urinating and / or during urination

  • Post void incontinence:

    Leakage after you have urinated. This could happen as you’re pulling your pants back on or whilst you’re washing your hands

  • Bladder pain / Interstitial Cystitis:

    Pain or pressure in your bladder and urination passage. Your pain / pressure could also extend to your pelvic / abdominal areas

What could be causing your bladder problems?

Pelvic floor dysfunction where your pelvic floor is too weak or too tight (overactive) can be a common cause of bladder problems. However, there can be many other things that can also impact on bladder health including:

  • Stress / anxiety

  • Poor bladder habits including: the types of fluids that you drink, going to the toilet “just in case”

  • High impact exercise such as weight lifting and high intensity sports

  • Constipation

  • Health conditions including diabetes, obesity, chronic cough

For women:

  • Pregnancy and childbirth

  • Menopause

  • Prolapse (see prolapse page)

For men

  • Enlarged prostate

  • Prostate surgery

How can Advance Pelvic Health help you?

Research has shown that pelvic floor physiotherapy helps improve bladder symptoms in both men and women.

With our extensive experience, we will assess your condition using various assessment strategies including pelvic floor examinations for both men and women and external ultrasound assessments of the pelvic floor. You may also be asked to complete a bladder diary so we can assess your bladder symptoms thoroughly.

Our treatment strategies will be tailored around what we find in our detailed assessment of your bladder symptoms and what you want to achieve. We will provide education about your condition and create an evidence-based personalised program that fits into your lifestyle.

You are not alone. We’re ready to listen and here to help.