Treating incontinence with the latest tools and procedures
After our Austin urologists diagnose the cause, type and severity of your incontinence, they can begin to design an individualized treatment plan for your bladder control problems. When our team is treating incontinence, they have a wide variety of treatment options, ranging from non-invasive behavioral techniques to less-invasive procedures or surgeries.
Behavioral techniques may help you manage your bladder control problems
In some cases, changing your lifestyle can help relieve your incontinence symptoms. In other cases, behavioral techniques are a valuable addition to your other protocols for treating incontinence.
- Don’t eat or drink foods that irritate your bladder, including caffeine, citrus items and alcohol.
- Try bladder training to help you go for longer periods of time in between trips to the bathroom.
- Learn the proper way to perform Kegel exercises.
- Lose weight, if you are overweight or obese.
- Empty your bladder on a regular schedule, instead of waiting for the “gotta go” feeling.
- Always empty your bladder before you do vigorous exercise.
- Don’t lift heavy objects.
- Wear absorbent pads or underwear to absorb leaks.
Medications and devices provide non-invasive treatment
There are several medications available for treating incontinence. These include medications that calm an overactive bladder, medicines that relax the bladder muscles for urge incontinence, alpha blockers specifically for men, and topical estrogen for women. Women can use devices to help prevent leakage, such as a pessary that you insert into the vagina, or a urethral insert, a device that resembles a tampon. Our urologists may also suggest daily self-catheterization to help drain your bladder.
Medical procedures and surgeries are additional options for treating incontinence
When less-invasive methods won’t work for your bladder control problems, our urologists may recommend a medical procedure or surgery. Our Austin urologists offer a wide variety of treatment options.
- Injecting bulking material into the tissue that surrounds the urethra to help reduce leakage
- Injecting Botox into your bladder muscles, if you have urge incontinence or overactive bladder
- Devices inserted into your vagina or under the skin on your buttocks to deliver electrical pulses to the nerves that control your bladder
- Sling procedures to help with stress incontinence
- Bladder neck suspension surgery to provide support to the bladder neck and urethra
- Pelvic organ prolapse surgery
- Surgical insertion of an artificial urinary sphincter. The sphincter keeps your bladder closed until it’s time to empty your bladder. Our surgeons implant a valve under your skin that you can push to open the sphincter and urinate.
Our Austin urologists make you feel comfortable and cared for during your treatment
Treating incontinence requires skill, training and experience, delivered with compassion and understanding. Contact us for an appointment to get relief from bladder control problems.