{"id":10419,"date":"2023-12-14T10:44:07","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T10:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=10419"},"modified":"2023-12-18T08:26:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T08:26:34","slug":"urinary-incontinence-treatment-and-management-options-beyond-pads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/health-awareness\/urinary-incontinence-treatment-and-management-options-beyond-pads\/","title":{"rendered":"Urinary incontinence treatment and management options beyond pads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-10420\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210037\/James-Forde-Headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210037\/James-Forde-Headshot.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210037\/James-Forde-Headshot-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">James Ford<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Consultant Urologist<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>People who suffer symptoms of urinary incontinence are encouraged to seek out a range of approaches that could help ease their condition.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Urinary incontinence<\/a> can be effectively treated, rather than simply managed with incontinence products and pads. Lifestyle changes, physiotherapy, medical interventions and surgical devices are options that can make a significant difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-types-of-urinary-incontinence\"><strong>Types of urinary incontinence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>James Forde, consultant urologist at Beaumont Hospital and Blackrock Clinic in Dublin, says urinary incontinence is a common problem, affecting men and women, with two main types: (1) stress incontinence, where people experience a loss of urine during exertion; and (2) urge incontinence, which is involuntary leakage of urine and associated with an overactive bladder.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-1216695307\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-1162076294\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Medtronic desk\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210035\/Medtronic-desk.jpg\" alt=\"\"  width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Overactive bladder factors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies have shown that it affects about 12% of the population; around 350,000 people over the age of 40 in Ireland have overactive bladder symptoms. Forde, who has a specialist interest in voiding dysfunction says: \u201cOveractive bladder is a condition where people experience urinary urgency, which is a compelling need to pass urine and is associated with increased urinary frequency when you void more frequently than normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of patients suffer in silence or are embarrassed and do not like to tell anyone about it. Nocturia, waking up during the night to go to the toilet, is also associated with urinary incontinence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conservative incontinence management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Forde underlines the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">importance of raising awareness<\/a> and urges people to talk to their GP or healthcare professional if they suspect a problem. \u201cThey may rule out conditions that are making incontinence worse \u2014 such as infections or other medical conditions \u2014 and, from there, recommend conservative management options that can improve everyday quality of life,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conservative options for an overactive bladder can be as basic as patients detailing their fluid history \u2014 such as if they consume a lot of caffeinated drinks, which can be bladder irritants \u2014 or physio such as pelvic floor exercises to train their bladder and reduce overactive and urinary incontinence symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe ensure patients maximise all conservative options prior to starting them on medication because, in certain cases, conservative management can be more effective than medication,\u201d Forde continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Up to 80% of patients report a <br>significant improvement with botox.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Surgical interventions for incontinence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For those not improving with medication, surgical options such as botulinum toxin (botox) injections into the bladder can be effective at slowing down bladder activity. Up to 80% of patients report a significant improvement with botox. Though, there can be side effects with some patients (around 10%) having trouble emptying their bladder or developing a urinary tract infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another type of surgical treatment that has increased in popularity is sacral neural modulation, developed by companies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Medtronic<\/a>, for overactive bladder patients with urge incontinence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forde explains: \u201cThat involves inserting leads through the lower back, which produce an electrical current that helps modulate or slow down the activity of the bladder and can be a very effective technique. About 70% of patients see an improvement.\u201d The treatment is a long-lasting solution, aided by prolonged battery.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"healt-3099150492\"><div class=\"healt-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div id=\"healt-659510613\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Medtronic desk\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210035\/Medtronic-desk.jpg\" alt=\"\"  width=\"750\" height=\"250\"  style=\"display: inline-block;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Seek advice to get effective treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In cases of stress incontinence, there are also various procedures and surgical interventions that can help. These also start with conservative management techniques and physiotherapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forde\u2019s overarching message to people who have, or fear they have, urinary incontinence issues is that they should not be embarrassed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seek advice and treatment<\/a>. \u201cThere are lots of treatment options available, including very successful conservative management techniques that we build on to try and improve patients\u2019 quality of life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With well-established guidelines and pathways with suitable, safe and effective treatments, there are a range of options \u2014 beyond continence materials and pads \u2014 that can effectively address urinary incontinence.<\/p>\n\n\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-button ab-block-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportincontinence.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ab-button ab-button-shape-rounded ab-button-size-medium fb-pixel\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#224a87\">Click here to learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People who suffer symptoms of urinary incontinence are encouraged to seek out a range of approaches that could help ease their condition. Urinary incontinence can be effectively treated, rather than simply managed with incontinence products and pads. Lifestyle changes, physiotherapy, medical interventions and surgical devices are options that can make a significant difference. Types of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/health-awareness\/urinary-incontinence-treatment-and-management-options-beyond-pads\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":10422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5873],"tags":[5874],"class_list":["post-10419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-awareness","tag-health-awareness-q4-2023"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210036\/GettyImages-629600546-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2023\/12\/07210036\/GettyImages-629600546-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10419"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10522,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10419\/revisions\/10522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}