Types of Bladder Weakness
Bladder weakness is a form of incontinence – in this case the inability to control the bladder. Here is more information on some types of incontinence:
Stress Incontinence
Women with stress incontinence may experience leakage when coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising, lifting and performing other kinds of strenuous activity. Childbirth and some surgeries can weaken the pelvic floor (the muscles under the bladder) allowing urine to leak when the abdomen is under stress. Younger women often experience this type of incontinence.
Stress incontinence is usually caused by having a weak sphincter mechanism. The muscles of the pelvic floor and the sphincter muscle are unable to keep the bladder outlet tube (urethra) closed during straining activities that increase pressure inside the abdomen.
Urge Incontinence
Women with urge incontinence may lose large amounts of urine. There’s a feeling of not being able to reach the bathroom fast enough. Urge incontinence is usually caused by having an ‘overactive bladder’, one that contracts before you give it permission to.
Many women experience urge incontinence due to infections that irritate the bladder or bladder outlet tube (urethra), or cause muscle spasms, which force the urine out of the bladder. Constipation can also cause urge incontinence through the loss of muscle control. A stroke, spinal cord injury, dementia or diseases that affect the nervous system, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, can bring on this type also.
Mixed Incontinence
It is not unusual to experience both symptoms of stress incontinence and urge incontinence at the same time. The causes of the two types may or may not be related and should be evaluated separately.
Overflow Incontinence
Some women either do not get the urge to urinate or have a blockage in the urethra (the tube that passes from the bladder out of the body). In both of these instances, the bladder never completely empties, and when it overfills, excess urine is forced out. Nervous system disorders and spinal cord injuries are frequent causes of overflow incontinence.
Medication-Related Incontinence
Some medications may cause lack of bladder control by relaxing muscles or by blocking signals sent from a full bladder to the brain. In these instances, your doctor may change your medications to eliminate the side effects. Using POISE absorbent products can help minimise the problem until you are taken off the medication.