Treatment of Incontinence
If you experience incontinence here are some things you need to know:
- You are not alone – incontinence is common in men and women across all ages
- You do not have to just “live with it”
- Some medical conditions that cause incontinence can be treated
- Incontinence does not have to be a part of aging
- There are various management and treatment therapies to help improve continence
- You should tell your doctor
Incontinence is a chronic, stressful, and limiting disorder. Treatment for incontinence should begin with attention to how you manage and what effect incontinence has on your daily life. Attention then can turn toward ways to minimize or contain incontinence.
"Managing incontinence means confronting and dealing with issues involving uncertainty, loss, and control."
Management and treatment may include a combination of the following:
Lifestyle changes – being prepared
Dietary changes
Medication
Bowel management/retraining program
Biofeedback therapy (neuromuscular reeducation)
Surgical treatments to repair muscle damage or to create a diversion/colostomy
Other newer procedures or devices
Summary
Although current management and treatment options do improve the quality of life for individuals with incontinence and can mean the difference between social isolation and a productive life, these measures do not guarantee a return to complete continence.
Even after initial success with biofeedback or surgery, many people do not retain the post-treatment degree of continence long-term. There is a great need for research aimed at finding innovative treatments to improve lives of affected individuals. Read more about research priorities for incontinence treatment
Next Topic: Daily Living with Incontinence