Pelvic Floor Health in Plain Language

Symptoms

Bladder control problems

Inability to hold your wee during normal everyday activities or having to dash to the loo to pee.

Stress incontinence

You cough, sneeze, move quickly or bend to lift something and leak wee.. why?  The pressure in your tummy suddenly increases causing you to leak wee as your sphincter muscle, the muscle around your water pipe (urethra) and your pelvic floor muscles are weak and no longer stop the wee being pushed out.

Urge incontinence

Rushing to the loo to wee…Why?  The bladder contracts when it shouldn’t causing some pee to leak out through the sphincter muscles which close the bladder.  Urge incontinence is a SYMPTOM and a SIGN not a diagnosis in itself.

PFH in plain language

Possible Causes

Bladder infection

A bacterial infection within the bladder or anywhere in the urinary tract, such as the bladder, kidneys, ureters (long tubes between the kidneys and bladder) or the urethra (waterpipe)

Bladder neck obstruction

The muscles at the bladder neck stop opening properly so you can’t pee completely.  More common in men than women.

Bladder stones

Are crystallized minerals that form when concentrated urine is left in the bladder (less water and more waste product)

More common in men than women

Maybe due to dehydration or incomplete emptying of the bladder due to prostate problems, bladder problems or infections

Symptoms: Frequency to pee both in the day & night time, lower abdominal pain, burning when you pee, cloudy urine, inability to control urination due to urgency.

Spinal cord injury

Trauma to the back/vertebral column which contains and protects the spinal cord

Spinal cord is a bundle of nerves and other tissue and extends from the base of the brain

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