Urinary Incontinence And The Loss Of Control

December 15th, 2011

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Although we might like to believe that we are in control of our bodily functions, the vast majority of activities that take place in our body are not within our direct control. Sure we can make our best effort to burp quietly, to cover our nose when we sneeze or to only pass gas once we have safely reached a bathroom, but this is usually as much control as we actually have. In fact, loss of bodily control is far more common than we might believe and one of the ways in which we can lose control is through Urinary Incontinence.

Unfortunately, because of our optimistic belief that we have control and our belief that having control is so important, the development of such a humbling and debilitating condition is often kept secret. This means that people can remain unaware of causes of the condition as well as the treatment options. Instead, many will unnecessarily endure the consequences of having a leaky bladder.

What is Urinary Incontinence?

In simplest terms, Urinary Incontinence is the inability to control when we urinate. Under normal conditions, the urinary sphincter, located at the bottom of the bladder, ensures that urine stays in the bladder until we are ready to urinate. The urinary sphincter is a ring of muscle that applies constant pressure to part of the tube that runs from our bladder to the outside of our body. By clamping this tube, the sphincter holds the urine in our bladders, providing bladder control.

Stress Incontinence

One common cause of a leaky bladder can be directly from weak sphincter muscles themselves. If the muscles in the sphincter are unable to clench tightly enough, some liquid will leak from the bladder. Additionally, disease and injury of the nervous system can prevent the proper nerve signaling that normally causes the sphincter to continue holding the urine in the bladder.

Some of the more common situations in which we can observe his form of Urinary Incontinence are when additional pressure is placed on the bladder. Laughing, coughing, sneezing and even standing up can all apply sufficient pressure to cause the bladder to leak. This form of Urinary Incontinence, called stress incontinence, is the most common cause of a leaky bladder.

Urge Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence can also develop from more active causes. One situation in which this can occur is if the bladder does not expand properly or stay expanded as fluids arrive from the kidneys. In this case, the bladder will only hold a small amount of liquid before bladder muscles involuntarily contract and begin to apply force to the urinary sphincter. This causes a sudden urge to urinate and once the bladder applies too much force to the sphincter, the sphincter begins to leak.

This form of incontinence is called Urge Incontinence and is associated with conditions such as overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis.

Overflow Incontinence

The least common form of Urinary Incontinence occurs when the opposite condition is present in terms of bladder muscle contraction. If the bladder muscles are too weak to force urine out, then the bladder can stay full. If the bladder is full, any urine coming into the bladder from the kidneys will force some urine to leak out. This results in a constant dribble of urine.

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