How Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles Lead to Urine Leakage?

Urine leakage or urinary incontinence is a condition that is found in both men and women globally. Mostly, people neglect to take it on a serious note and think it is just a natural part of aging. People who suffer from urinary incontinence even struggle doing their day-to-day activities.

Pelvic floor muscle weakness is a common cause of urinary bladder leakage episodes. We have curated this blog to give you detailed information about these muscles and how they can lead to urinary leakage. Keep reading. 

What Are the Pelvic Floor Muscles? 

The pelvic floor muscles are a series of muscles that form a supportive structure to the pelvic floor base. Generally, they support the bladder and intestines. Pelvic muscles in men support their prostate and bladder, while in women, these support the uterus. They help to:

1. Support pelvic organs.
2. Control the flow of urine.
3. Balance the sexual health and bowel movement.
4. Keeping continence.

If the pelvic muscles are strong, they support the bladder even when you are sneezing, coughing, laughing, and exercising. The bladder will not get any support if pelvic floor dysfunction arises. This leads to urine leakage.

Muscle weakness can happen to both men and women, and it can get worse if not treated early. Pelvic muscle weakness may be caused by getting older, pregnancy, being overweight, long-term illness, surgery, and changes in hormones.

What are the Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence?

 Based on its seriousness and appearance, incontinence of urine might differ. Find its most commonly known symptoms below.

1) Sudden Urges to Urine or Urge Continence: It is an intense and sudden need to take a piss, causing involuntary urine leakage.

2) Leaking During Physical Activities or Stress Continence: Bladder leakage that is caused by activities that don’t even require major actions, such as sneezing and coughing.

3) Incomplete Emptying: Urine dripping happens when you have a feeling that the bladder is not emptied completely.

4) Urination at Night or Nocturia: Urge to urinate frequently, especially at nighttime.

5) Holding Behavior: Due to involuntary leakage, people might avoid drinking water which leads to holding urine.

To avoid worsening the situation and complications like skin irritation and infection in the urine tract, earlier intervention is required, and also note that occasional leakage should also not be left unnoticed. Hence, options like stress incontinence treatment in Coimbatore can prevent complications and provide timely recovery.

 What are the Causes of Urinary Incontinence?

 The main cause of urinary incontinence and leakage is weak pelvic floor muscles. It is also important to consider these factors.

• Obesity: Leakage might happen if excessive weight puts more pressure on the pelvic area and bladder.
• Aging: Incontinence occurs in both men and women due to their natural aging process, as it decreases muscle elasticity.
• Chronic Straining and Coughing: Heavy weight lifting, chronic cough, and other related activities that frequently pressure the pelvic muscles can cause pelvic muscle weakness.
• Medical Conditions: A few medical conditions, like prostate issues, diabetes, and neurological disorders, can cause urine leaking.

For Men: Urinary control and pelvic muscle support in men can be affected due to surgeries like prostatectomy.

For Women: Prolonged delivery, vaginal labor, and multiple pregnancies can cause stretching and injury in women’s pelvic floor muscles.

 By understanding the symptoms and causes of unconscious leakage in urine, you will be aware of the risk factors. Some of the measures to be taken are managing ideal weight, getting medical assistance from the urogynecology hospital in Coimbatore, and doing pelvic exercises.

What Tests Need to Be Done to Identify Urinary Incontinence? 

Early diagnosis is important to come to a conclusion on how severe and what type of urinary incontinence one has. The tests that are needed to be done to determine urinary incontinence are:

1. Physical Examination: It is used to analyze the strength of bladder support and pelvic floor muscles.
2. Bladder Diary: This is essential to keep track of urinary leakage episodes, water intake, and urine frequency.
3. Urinalysis: It is used for preventing any distortions in the urine, like infection or blood.
4. Imaging Tests: MRI scans or ultrasound are performed to image the pelvic region and check for structural abnormalities in rare cases.
5. Urodynamic Tests: This evaluates the bladder’s capacity, flow, and ability to function to determine the seriousness of urinary incontinence.

Final Line

One of the important reasons for urinary leakage in women and men is weakness of the pelvic floor muscles. There is nothing to be worried about, as incontinence of urine is curable. People can live confidently without worrying about urinary leakage through medical guidance and proper diagnosis from the best urogynecology hospital in Coimbatore, pelvic floor exercises, and lifestyle modifications. This also helps them get back control over their bladder.

Individuals can avoid prolonged complications if they pay close attention to their symptoms, check with a healthcare expert, and take precautionary measures. This helps in leading an unrestricted, active lifestyle.