I’ve had my share of incontinent moments; jumping up to hit an overhead in tennis, watching a comedy routine or sneezing with a full bladder. Most women think it’s normal to have a leaky bladder especially after having a baby or as we age. It’s surprising to find out how common urinary incontinence is among women.  Although we’ve treated a lot of middle age, and senior clients with this complaint we’ve had our share of young women as well.  Several teenagers have shared embarrassing accounts of bladder leakage while exercising or laughing. If you accept this as normal, I guess it’s time to purchase stock in adult diapers, a hot tip touted by most investment reports and a sector expected to grow steadily now that baby boomers are aging.

As a Physical Therapist I cringe at the idea that diapers are the only option especially since I’ve seen urinary incontinence treated with great success in the clinic. If you have a leaky pipe in your home are you satisfied with putting down a drip tray, or do you call a plumber to have it fixed?  A PT with a pelvic floor specialty certification is equipped to evaluate the cause of a leaking bladder. Often times it’s from weakness in the muscles of the pelvic floor which is easy to treat with exercises.  These muscles are sometimes hard to activate so a biofeedback system is used.  Electrodes are placed on the skin above the weak muscle and as you contract you are given feedback on your performance through a computer program while being coached by your PT. After just a few sessions you’ll see a difference in your strength and ability to prevent those annoying accidents.  So, let’s spread the word that PT can help a leaky bladder, and change the upward trajectory of the adult diaper market.