How to treat urinary incontinence? 3 treatments to keep in mind

Urinary incontinence is a disease that is difficult to cure. Although it is a chronic disease, the treatment of urinary incontinence is still mainly based on exercise. Surgical treatment is not recommended for older people. Pelvic floor muscle exercises and bladder function exercises can both improve urinary incontinence.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can be used as a first-line treatment. Behavioral therapy has great potential benefits, few risks, and is effective for both stress and urge incontinence. It may be of great value for older women who may be at risk for surgical complications and/or adverse drug reactions. The medical community used this method to treat this disease in the late 1940s. The 5-year cure rate or significant improvement rate of pelvic floor muscle exercises is as high as 60%.

1. Pelvic floor muscle exercise: naturally contract the pelvic floor levator ani muscles three times a day, at least 15 to 30 times each time, and each time lasts for more than 10 seconds; pubic muscle exercise is to actively interrupt urination during urination and then continue urination repeatedly, which helps to restore the function of the urethral sphincter.

2. Bladder function exercise: the preferred method for patients with overactive bladder. That is, urinate at the prescribed time and gradually extend the time interval between urination to gradually increase bladder capacity, use consciousness to control the sensory stimulation of the bladder, rebuild the cerebral cortex's control over bladder function, and eventually restore normal urination patterns, reducing the frequency of urination to once every 3-4 hours.

3. Pelvic biological feedback therapy: Vaginal cones of different sizes are placed into the vagina, and the patient is asked to contract the vagina to clamp it, and the weight of the cone is gradually increased to enhance the contraction force of the patient's vagina. Biofeedback therapy can be connected to an external pressure measuring device to measure the vaginal contraction force, and display it to the patient through the pressure measuring device screen, intuitively guiding the patient to correctly master the contraction method and improve the effectiveness of pelvic floor exercises.

These methods are simple and effective. If you stick to them for 3 to 6 months, the efficiency can reach 70% to 100% without any side effects. For refractory patients, vaginal pessaries, urine pads, etc. can be used as auxiliary treatments to support the vagina and collect urine.