Have you ever felt like you might pee your pants from laughing so hard or because you couldn’t find a bathroom? This might feel embarrassing, but between one in three and one in four Americans suffer from some kind of urinary incontinence. Any involuntary leakage of urine caused by a lack of control in the urinary sphincter can be classified as incontinence. While this condition can be troublesome and cause trouble with quality of life, a Billings chiropractor may be able to offer relief.
Who Can Be Incontinent?
Many people associate incontinence with certain groups of people, especially women and those who are older. It is true that these groups are at a higher risk for the issue – women between the ages of 20 and 60 report it most often. This is in part because having given birth is a major contributor to incontinence.
But the truth is that anyone can have this issue, including men. Where about 30% of women between 30 and 60 have trouble with bladder control, about 5% of men this age have the same symptoms. These numbers go up when you factor in things like obesity, smoking, aging, prostate problems, diabetes, kidney disease, and neurological conditions.
Managing Incontinence
Often, people suffering from incontinence are able to manage the issue with non-medical treatments. They often learn to schedule toilet trips or learn to delay their urination, or even urinate twice within a few minutes to ensure their bladder is empty. Some people will also wear adult diapers or liners as a way of dealing with the issue. Light intervention can include Kegel exercises when physical pressure is contributing to the problem. But rather than treatment, these are all ways of learning to live with incontinence and can decrease quality of life.
Extreme measures can also be used, like medication, medical devices, or even surgery. These options are typically for serious situations. Before jumping to these options, you should explore Billings chiropractic care. In fact, many have found relief with Dr. Thomas Keogh and regular chiropractic adjustments for the management and resolution of incontinence.
Chiropractic Care for Incontinence
Chiropractors like Dr. Thomas Keogh focus on overall body function – by ensuring the spine is aligned, they are able to ensure the body communicates properly within itself. In the case of incontinence, weakened muscles in the bladder, pelvis, and urinary sphincter are where function has been lost and needs to be restored. This can often be traced back to subluxations in the lower spine, which impact how the body retains and eliminates waste. Restoring this alignment can help improve bladder control.
In fact, a 2012 study saw 21 people with incontinence issues undergo adjustments, and each of them saw an improvement. This improvement even lasted through the six-year follow-up, with patients seeing other issues relieved during this time as well.
Whether you recently began noticing signs of incontinence or have had bladder control troubles for years, the team at Bare Chiropractic can help. Contact us today to schedule your first evaluation and begin taking control of your bladder and improving your quality of life!
Sources
Cuthbert, S.C., Rosner, A.L. “Conservative Chiropractic Management of Urinary Incontinence Using Applied Kinesiology: A Retrospective Case-Series Report.” Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2012 Mar; 11(1): 49-57. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315873/.
“What Is Urinary Incontinence?” Urology Care Foundation. www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/urinary-incontinence.
Zhang, J., Haselden, J., Tepe, R. “A Case Series of Reduced Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Patients Following Chiropractic Manipulation.” Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2006 Fall; 5(3): 88-91. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647065/.
