Types of bladder weakness
Having a better understanding of your body and the causes of bladder weakness should make it a little easier to talk with your doctor or health care professional and will help you to choose the right treatments and products to manage your symptoms more successfully.
Common forms of bladder weakness include:
Stress Incontinence
Occasional leaks can happen when you laugh, sneeze or cough, during exercise, or even when lifting heavy shopping bags. This is known as stress incontinence, yet it’s not caused by emotional stress, but by physical stress to your pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder and bowel.
Simple exercises can help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, and in the meantime, DEPEND® products give you the protection and reassurance you need against unexpected leaks, enabling you to get on with your daily routines without interruption.
Bladder suffering from stress incontinence; the sphincter system is not working properly anymore. This causes involuntary leakage during times of physical exertion.
Urge Incontinence
Urge incontinence is a sudden feeling that you need the toilet, or can’t reach the bathroom in time. This is due to an overactive bladder, which causes involuntary muscle spasms that force urine out of the bladder.
Some people may experience both stress incontinence and urge incontinence at different times, so it’s worth speaking to your GP to discuss possible reasons and treatments for this. You can also see our FAQs for more information.
To protect you when you need it most DEPEND® products are there to keep you feeling confident, no matter how far away the bathroom is.
Urge incontinence as a result of bladder inflammation; the urge to urinate is caused by the irritation of the bladders mucosa.
Overflow & Drip
This is most common amongst men. It is caused when the bladder doesn’t empty completely, so urine starts to build up and muscles become weak, leading to urine loss drop by drop with little sensation or warning.
With the right products this condition can be entirely manageable. Stay in control by using DEPEND® pads & pants to protect yourself from leaks.
Symptoms Include
- Straining to pass urine
- A weak urine stream
- Feeling as if your bladder is not empty just after going to the toilet
- Little or no warning when you need to pass urine
- Passing urine while asleep
- Frequent urinary tract infections
Less Common Forms of Bladder Weakness Include:
Functional
Functional incontinence has nothing to do with the state of the urinary tract. It occurs where people are unable to use a toilet without assistance.
There can be a range of reasons for this. It may be caused by restricted mobility, due to conditions such as severe arthritis, or perhaps confusion brought on by other illnesses such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
Whatever the cause, DEPEND® has a range of products that are specifically designed to manage heavy bladder loss whilst making the wearer feel comfortable and reassured.
Total
The rarest of these conditions is total incontinence – where a person leaks urine from the bladder all of the time.
Total incontinence can be caused by birth defects, such as holes in the bladder or by pelvic scarring due to surgery, radiation or disease. It can also occur as the result of nerve damage from injury, disease or stroke.
Treatment of total incontinence depends upon the cause but it can be managed day-to-day by using the right DEPEND® products.
Medication-Related
Some medication may cause incontinence 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.
So if you think you are suffering symptoms of bladder weakness as the result of medication you’re on, including any products brought from over the counter, make sure you contact your GP and ask for advice.
In the meantime, DEPEND® products are perfectly designed to cope with short-term bladder weakness.
Please note that the contents of this website are for information purposes only and are not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For medical care and advice you should consult your doctor on a regular basis.