How do you fix postpartum incontinence?
I recently put up a poll on my Instagram story for my postpartum mama’s to find out what they want to learn more about. I gave several options and it turns out - they were interested in learning about all the things I listed! One of the topics that received a few more votes than the others was postpartum incontinence and leaking, so we are going to start there.
First, I want to note that urinary leaking and incontinence can happen to anyone and any gender. There can be many reasons for incontinence, and regardless of gender or past birth history, pelvic floor physical therapy can help!
That being said, it has become common for moms to expect and accept urinary leaking postpartum. We’ve all heard moms joking about how they pee every time they cough, sneeze, or jump. But why does this happen? And can it really be fixed?
During pregnancy, your body obviously goes through a LOT of changes. Increased fluid, changes in posture, and of course the weight of the baby all place pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. Then during labor and delivery the pelvic floor muscles stretch to allow the baby to move through the birth canal. Even moms who have a c-section can experience urinary leaking. Many c-secion mama’s will push before their c-section, and others may have scar tissue near their incision that places stress on the bladder and/or pelvic floor muscles postpartum.
Moms can experience different types of incontinence postpartum. The most common types of incontinence we see postpartum are stress incontinence (leaking with physical exertion such as jumping, coughing, sneezing, etc), urge incontinence (leaking with urinary urgency), and mixed incontinence (leaking with urgency and physical exertion).
How we “fix” (treat) postpartum incontinence depends on which type of incontinence you are experiencing, as well as what we find during our evaluation.
Things your pelvic floor physical therapist may discuss with you during your evaluation include:
any triggers for your incontinence (running water, full bladder, etc)
discussing possible bladder irritants such as caffeine
discussing nutrition and hydration
voiding habits (like just-in-case peeing) and other symptoms (like hesitancy or incomplete voiding)
reviewing a bladder diary
Things your pelvic floor physical therapist may also evaluate include:
posture, strength, and functional movements
pelvic floor muscle tension and strength (this may be done both externally and internally)
visceral mobility/tension
scar mobility (c-section or perineal)
Because there are all of these factors listed above (and more!) that may play a role in urinary leaking, treatment can vary widely between patients. There is not one “quick fix” for all mama’s, and pelvic floor PT can be key in getting rid of urinary incontinence and leaking for good. You don’t have to live with leaking just because you had a baby, and it is never too late to seek care! If you’re interested in learning more about all of the pelvic floor conditions and symptoms we treat, click here.
Questions? Contact us at info@absolutekineticspt.com.
Blog post written by Dr. Alexis Hutchison, PT, DPT, OCS