If you find yourself rushing to the bathroom more often than usual or losing control before you get there, you may be dealing with urge incontinence, a type of urinary incontinence that impacts both men and women. These sudden urges can disrupt your day, affect your sleep, and lower your quality of life. The type and severity of your bladder control problem will influence the available treatment options and highlight the importance of tailoring these options to fit your lifestyle.

At J&S Aesthetics in Oceanside, CA, we help patients manage and treat urinary incontinence with non-invasive solutions like Emsella, a treatment that strengthens the pelvic floor muscles and restores natural bladder control.

Introduction to Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a common condition characterized by the loss of bladder control, resulting in the involuntary leakage of urine. It can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, causing embarrassment, anxiety, and social isolation. Urinary incontinence can be caused by a variety of factors, including urinary tract infections, overactive bladder, and weakened pelvic floor muscles. Understanding the types of urinary incontinence, its causes, and available treatments is essential for effective management and improving bladder control.

Understanding Urge Incontinence

Urge urinary incontinence happens when the bladder muscle contracts without warning. This causes a strong, immediate need to urinate, often followed by urine leakage. While this condition can affect anyone, it is more common in women over 40 and individuals with certain health conditions.

Possible causes include:

• Overactive bladder
• Urinary tract infections
• Changes in nerve signals
• Bladder irritants like caffeine and alcohol
• Pelvic floor disorders
• Spinal injury, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis
• Enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia in men

Increased bladder pressure can also lead to overflow urinary incontinence, where dribbling occurs due to the bladder failing to empty properly.

These symptoms can also occur alongside other types of urinary incontinence such as stress urinary incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

There are several types of urinary incontinence.  Each with distinct characteristics and causes. The main types include stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, overflow urinary incontinence, functional incontinence, and mixed urinary incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence occurs when physical activity or pressure on the bladder causes urine leakage, while urge urinary incontinence is characterized by a sudden, intense need to urinate, often resulting in leakage. 

Overflow urinary incontinence happens when the bladder is not fully emptied, causing urine to leak out. Understanding the type of urinary incontinence is crucial for developing an effective treatment plan.

Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder is a condition characterized by a sudden, intense need to urinate, often accompanied by urge urinary incontinence. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including neurological disorders, bladder irritants, and certain medications. 

Treatment for an overactive bladder may include lifestyle modifications, such as dietary changes and bladder training, as well as medications to help relax the bladder muscle. In some cases, more advanced treatments like botulinum toxin injections or nerve stimulation may be necessary to manage symptoms.

How the Pelvic Floor Affects Bladder Control

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports the bladder, urethral sphincter, and pelvic organs. These muscles are key in helping you control urination and keep the urethra closed until you’re ready to go.

In surgical treatments for urinary incontinence, addressing issues with the bladder neck is crucial. Procedures like the midurethral sling and bladder neck suspension surgeries specifically target the bladder neck to treat conditions such as stress urinary incontinence and overflow urinary incontinence.

When the pelvic floor weakens, whether from aging, pelvic surgery, childbirth, or inactivity, it becomes harder to hold in urine. This can lead to both stress incontinence and urge incontinence, especially during physical activity or when the bladder is under pressure.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, are a crucial component of urinary incontinence treatment. These exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which play a vital role in bladder control. By strengthening these muscles, individuals can improve their ability to control urination and reduce leakage. Pelvic floor exercises can be done by both men and women and are often recommended as a first-line treatment for stress urinary incontinence and other types of incontinence.

Why Emsella Is a Breakthrough for Treating Incontinence

Traditional treatments like Kegel exercises, pelvic floor muscle training, or even bladder training often require time, consistency, and proper technique. Many people don’t activate the right muscles or struggle to keep up.

Emsella treatment changes that. It uses high intensity focused electromagnetic energy to produce thousands of deep pelvic floor muscle contractions in a single 28-minute session. These contractions rebuild strength and support for the bladder and surrounding structures. As a complementary approach, bladder retraining can also be considered to help manage urinary incontinence symptoms before exploring medications or surgical interventions.

Emsella can help treat:

• Urgency urinary incontinence
• Stress incontinence
• Mixed incontinence
• Urinary retention
• Weak bladder control caused by pelvic organ prolapse

Learn more about how the Emsella chair works and how it supports patients looking for non-invasive relief.

Other Strategies to Improve Bladder Health

In addition to treatment, simple changes in routine and behavior can help manage symptoms. We often recommend:

• Keeping a bladder diary to track patterns
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Adjusting fluid intake and avoiding known bladder irritants
• Timed voiding and scheduled restroom visits
• Physical therapy to support pelvic floor recovery
• Reviewing medical history to rule out underlying causes
• Losing weight as part of a holistic approach to managing bladder problems

In more complex cases, your provider may discuss options like bulking agents, vaginal estrogen cream, or even surgical procedures such as an artificial urinary sphincter. But for most patients, conservative care offers excellent results.

You Don’t Have to Live With Urinary Incontinence

If urinary leakage, bladder spasms, or frequent bathroom visits are part of your daily life, you’re not alone and you have options. Emsella allows patients to improve bladder function, strengthen their core, and take back control.

Chronic urinary incontinence, a long-term condition arising from various factors such as behavioral habits, medical issues, and aging, requires comprehensive management to address its persistent underlying causes.

At J&S Aesthetics, we’re here to help you find a personalized path forward that supports your health and confidence.

Ready to explore your options? Contact us today to find out if Emsella is right for your urinary symptoms.

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