Incontinence Specialist
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HT Family Physicians
Family Medicine located in Stockton, CA & Lodi, CA
Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing, but you don’t have to put your life on hold because you’re afraid you can’t hold it in. The team of highly-experience family medicine physicians at HT Family Physicians offers effective incontinence treatments for men and women residing in the San Joaquin County area. Two locations are conveniently located in Stockton and Lodi, California. If you are concerned about incontinence, call or book an appointment online today.
Incontinence Q & A
What is incontinence?
Incontinence is a pelvic floor disorder that allows urine to involuntarily escape from your bladder. Incontinence is typically categorized as either stress or urge incontinence.
Stress incontinence
This is the more common form of the disorder. Stress incontinence occurs when you accidentally leak some urine when you cough, sneeze, or even laugh. It can also happen during exercise or for no obvious reason at all.
Urge incontinence
Also called overactive bladder, urge incontinence occurs when you experience a sudden, urgent, and uncontrollable need to urinate. You may wake up several times during the night because of the need to pass urine.
What causes incontinence?
Stress incontinence is typically caused by weakness in the pelvic floor. The muscles of the pelvic floor provide critical support to the bladder and urethra and help you to control urination. Childbirth and menopause can often damage or weaken the muscles in your pelvic floor. Obesity or being overweight can also overstress your pelvic floor and lead to incontinence issues.
Urge incontinence is caused by a miscommunication between the brain and the bladder or damage to the nerve pathways that carry the message that your bladder is full to your brain.
While women are more likely to develop incontinence, men can also develop both stress and urge incontinence. Older men and those with prostate issues are more likely to experience incontinence.
How is incontinence treated?
The doctors at HT Family Physicians offer customizable treatments to help their patients who experience incontinence. Each patient receives a thorough exam and consultation to diagnose incontinence and identify the root cause of the condition. Treatment varies so that each patient receives the care necessary to treat their specific condition.
Some patients benefit from practicing pelvic floor exercises and participating in bladder training. By strengthening the pelvic floor and training your bladder, you can regain control.
In other cases, patients may benefit from the use of a pessary, a device that is inserted into the vagina to provide additional support to the bladder and urethra.
Still other patients may benefit from Mona Lisa Touch® laser treatments. These treatments improve tissue strength, tone, and elasticity to the pelvic floor.
In some cases, minimally invasive surgeries may be advised to insert supportive devices, such as pelvic mesh and slings that act like scaffolding inside the body to support the bladder. It is also possible to place an artificial sphincter in the body to support and control the urethra, preventing leaks.
