Urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine) is an embarrassing condition that affects millions of people in the United States. In addition to causing physical distress, it can also have negative effects on a patient’s self-confidence, image, and overall well-being. Because incontinence can be embarrassing, many patients who suffer from the condition are reluctant to seek help or mistakenly attribute it as an unavoidable aspect of old age. With proper treatment and support, however, patients suffering from urinary incontinence don’t have to live with the condition any longer.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with the expert urologists at Comprehensive Urology, please call (310) 499-2756 today or fill out an online contact form.
Urinary Incontinence: A Treatable Condition
Losing control of one’s bladder is a common urological condition, affecting an estimated 25 million people in the United States alone, and it affects both genders equally. Though incontinence is more common in older individuals, people of all ages can suffer from the condition, which comes in various forms.
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence refers to a form of incontinence in which patients lose control of their bladders when they exert pressure. Mainly, this pressure is a result of laughing, coughing, sneezing, or exercising. Childbirth, pregnancy, and menopause are risk factors for stress incontinence in women, while some men experience stress incontinence after a prostatectomy.
Urge Incontinence
When patients suffer from urge incontinence, they often experience involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle. This intense urge to urinate allows patients only a few seconds to get to a restroom before involuntarily relieving themselves.
Other forms of incontinence include mixed urinary incontinence and overflow incontinence.
Incontinence Treatment in Los Angeles
Because incontinence can be caused by a variety of issues, avoidance and prevention can be extremely difficult. Instead, the urologists at Comprehensive Urology help patients manage their symptoms through a multitude of treatment options.
Behavioral techniques
For many patients, simple lifestyle changes are immensely helpful in managing and reducing the severity of urinary incontinence. Techniques that patients can attempt at home include bladder training, scheduling trips to the toilet, and fluid management. Limiting caffeine is also very helpful for many patients with urinary frequency, urgency, or urge incontinence.
Scheduling trips to the toilet is another way that patients can help manage their incontinence symptoms. By urinating on a routine and set schedule, patients no longer wait for the need to go.
Surgery
Patients with urinary incontinence may also benefit from minimally invasive surgery. At Comprehensive Urology, our physicians perform a variety of procedures for urinary incontinence. These include:
- Endoscopic injections
- Sling procedures
- Sacral neuromodulation
- Artificial urinary sphincter implementation
During a sling procedure, strips of a patient’s body tissue (or synthetic materials) are used to create a “hammock” around the bladder. This sling helps keep the bladder closed and prevents unwanted leakage during sneezes, coughs, and other instances of pressure on the bladder.
An artificial urinary sphincter is a small device that is shaped like a donut. This device is implanted around the neck of a patient’s bladder where it helps to keep the urinary sphincter closed until a patient is ready to urinate.
To determine which surgical option is best for you, please contact Comprehensive Urology today at (310) 499-2756.
Other Treatment Measures
If a patient’s incontinence doesn’t respond to behavioral techniques, he or she may require physical therapy or medications. At Comprehensive Urology, our Los Angeles specialists will help instruct patients on proper exercises (such as pelvic floor muscle exercises) that will strengthen the muscles that control urination. Alternatively, our urologists may prescribe incontinence medications for patients whose incontinence doesn’t respond to simple lifestyle adjustments.
At Comprehensive Urology, our urologists have treatment measures ideal for each unique patient. During a consultation, our doctors can properly determine which treatment measure is best for each individual patient.
Call Comprehensive Urology Today!
If you suffer from incontinence, please call Comprehensive Urology today. With decades of experience in urology, our doctors are experts in treating incontinence and other urological conditions. Contact us today by calling (310) 499-2756 or by filling out an online contact form.
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