Urinary Incontinence – 5 Common Myths

Physio&SoleClinic Incontinence, Physiotherapy February 22 2022

What is Urinary Incontinence (UI)?

UI is defined as an involuntary loss of urine.

Triggers for urine leakage ranges from coughing, sneezing or even laughing; engaging from physical activities; or having an urge to urinate.

Stress urinary incontinence is the most common type of urinary incontinence. In this article, we shall debunk 5 common Urinary Incontinence myths!

• 

• 

Myth 1: Only older women will have urinary leakage

Though the rate of incontinence increases with age, urinary incontinence is a common symptom that affects 1 in 4 women.

The prevalence rate increases to 30% after childbirth and >40% percent for women over 70 years old! (Milsom &M. Gyhagen, 2019).

Female athletes in various sports showed a 36% prevalence of UI rate (Teixera,R.V et al, 2018).

• 

Myth 2: Urinary leakage will resolve on its own over time. Just wear containment pads!

Unfortunately, it’s very rare that incontinence with go away on its own.

There are some other options for managing urine leakage conservatively such as pelvic floor exercise, bladder training, and electrical stimulation.

Myth 3: Drinking less water during the day will help solve my urine issue!

This is not actually true.

Limiting fluids too much can make the situation worse by making the urine become more concentrated, which can irritate the bladder! Ensure to stay hydrated throughout the day.

• 

• 

Myth 3: Pelvic floor exercise is only for those women who had major perineal tears during vaginal delivery

• 

While it is true that the reported risk of urinary incontinence is higher for women who had third- and fourth-degree perineal lacerations or also known as obstetric anal sphincters injuries (OASIS), all women regardless of birth method will benefit from doing pelvic floor exercises.

A study (Morkved,Sand Bo,K, 2000) has shown that postpartum pelvic floor muscle training was effective in the prevention and treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

Myth 5: Pelvic floor exercise is easy to do just by stopping my urine!

Stopping the urine flow is not an exercise but may help in identifying the pelvic floor muscles.

This “stop-test” should ONLY be done for this purpose.

Doing the pelvic floor muscle exercise is not so complicated as long as you able to identify the muscle correctly, visualize and feel the pelvic floor muscle movement.

To know more about pelvic floor exercises and managing urinary incontinence, consult a women’s health physiotherapist!

Book an Appointment