Not having control over your bladder is an embarrassing problem, but you may be surprised to learn that it’s very common. The experienced team at Urological Associates in Charlottesville, Virginia, specializes in the diagnosis and management of urinary incontinence and can devise a treatment plan that helps you regain control over your bladder. For expert care of your urinary incontinence, call the office today or book an appointment online.

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What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence refers to the loss of control of the contents of your bladder, whether you’re losing a dribble of urine or the entire contents. Urinary incontinence is a common problem and affects women more often than men. But with the right treatment, you can regain control over your bladder.

What are the types of urinary incontinence?

There are several types of urinary incontinence that cause different symptoms. The types include:

Stress urinary incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence occurs when you put stress on your bladder, causing the loss of urine. With stress urinary incontinence you may experience urine loss after a sneeze or during exercise.

Overactive bladder

Also referred to as urge urinary incontinence, overactive bladder causes you to feel a sudden and intense urge to urinate followed by a loss of bladder control.

Overflow incontinence

If you can’t fully empty your bladder, you may experience overflow incontinence, which causes a constant dribbling of urine.

Mixed incontinence

Many people have a combination of types, which is referred to as mixed incontinence.

The specialists at Urological Associates can determine the type of urinary incontinence you have by doing a comprehensive examination, and then they work with you to develop the most appropriate treatment plan.

What treatments can help my urinary incontinence?

The doctors at Urological Associates offer many treatment options for the management of urinary incontinence. Your personalized treatment may depend on the type of urinary incontinence you have, your symptoms, and your overall health.

Some of the treatments include:

Sacral Neuromodulation

Collagen injection

If you have stress incontinence, your urologist may recommend collagen injections. The collagen is injected directly into the tissue surrounding your urethra, which helps keep the muscles that close off the bladder from leaking urine.

Biofeedback training

Biofeedback training is an intensive program that focuses on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles to improve stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence. The training includes weekly in-office treatments aimed at helping you regain control over your pelvic floor muscles with special sensors. Plus you’ll do pelvic floor exercises at home.

Pubovaginal sling

For severe stress incontinence, your specialist may recommend a pubovaginal sling. This outpatient procedure takes a strip of fibrous tissue from your abdomen and places it around the neck of your bladder and urethra to help control the leakage.

The experienced team works closely with you to develop the most appropriate treatment plan to help you regain control over your bladder.

Urinary incontinence is a common problem, but it can be managed. Call Urological Associates today or book an appointment online.