Why Not Fix It?

You wouldn’t just wrap a broken arm in bubble wrap and wear a long-sleeved shirt to hide it, so why do we hide urinary leakage? Why not FIX IT??

It is estimated that approximately 1 in 3 women in their child-bearing years experience unwanted urinary leakage. Maybe it’s “just a little” leakage when you cough or sneeze. Maybe it’s “just a trickle” before you make it to the toilet. Or maybe you had to stop working out, playing with your kids, or going out with friends because you’re embarrassed about leaking urine. That sounds TERRIBLE!

In our society, if you break a bone in your arm you don’t even think twice about rushing off to the doctor to fix it. You’ll do whatever it takes to get your arm working perfectly again. On the other hand, if you are one of the MANY women who are dealing with urinary leakage, you may be perfectly content to change your entire lifestyle to avoid the issue. Perhaps you are content to spend thousands of dollars over your lifetime in pads or absorptive products to HIDE your issue. WHY??!!!

We wouldn’t HIDE a broken arm. We wouldn’t CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLE to avoid using our broken arm. We FIX IT. That’s what pelvic floor physical therapists are here to help you do! Let’s FIX that symptom of urinary leakage!!

Pelvic floor physical therapists are specially trained to provide a comprehensive evaluation of all of your symptoms. After all, urinary leakage is a symptom that something is not functioning properly, and your pelvic floor physical therapist can help you find the right plan to fix YOUR symptoms. Your pelvic floor physical therapist will ask permission to discuss all the nitty gritty details of your pelvic health including any history of pelvic/abdominal surgeries, childbirths, etc.

It will likely be recommended to allow the pelvic floor physical therapist to examine the pelvic floor muscles from an external and internal perspective. The internal examination portion is only performed after it has been thoroughly explained and all questions have been answered, as well as ongoing verbal consent is provided by the individual. Your comfort, privacy, and respect is of our utmost priority throughout the entire examination. Assessing the pelvic floor allows the physical therapist to determine whether there are muscles that are tight/tender, or whether there is weakness of certain muscles affecting your condition. Did you know there are 12+ muscles of the pelvic floor??!! It is a complex area of the body, not just “a muscle.”

Let’s not HIDE urinary leakage. Let’s not STOP DOING THINGS because of urinary leakage. Let’s FIX IT TOGETHER! Reach out to use at Shift Physical Therapy and Wellness to schedule your evaluation today. We will help you gain your CONFIDENCE and CONTROL over your urinary leakage symptoms!

Written by: Renee Hancock, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist