What Is Urge Incontinence? 

Understanding the different types of incontinence could give you a greater understanding of the symptoms that you or a loved one are suffering with and what course of action is best taken as a result. There are different types and severities of incontinence and here we will look at urge incontinence, what causes it, and the range of urinary products and Tena products for incontinence that offer great choices for a better life when living with incontinence of any kind.

Urge incontinence is a condition where you have a sudden urge to urinate. The urinary bladder will contract when it is not meant to and can cause some urine to leak through the sphincter muscles that are holding the bladder closed. You may also know of thiscondition as irritable bladder, detrusor instability, spasmodic bladder, bladder spasms, or overactive bladder. 

Urge incontinence is more common than you might think. It is an issue that can affect any person, male or female, older people and the young, although older people do face a higher risk of developing an overactive bladder. Urge incontinence can be a symptom of a serious physical problem or medical issue, or it could be a symptom of lifestyle. It is just one part of a larger framework of urinary incontinence that can range in severity from a small leakage of urine when you cough or sneeze to larger volumes of urine leaking on a regular basis.

There are many triggers to urge incontinence that you can look out for. These can include:

• A bladder infection
• Inflammation of the bladder
• Obstruction of the opening of the bladder
• An enlarged prostate
• Bladder stones
• Diseases of the nervous system
• Injury or trauma to the nervous system
• Bladder cancer

If you have a serious case of urge incontinence you should seek advice from a medical professional. This is especially the case if you are feeling pain or discomfort alongside the urge incontinence, in your pelvic region or where there is a burning pain or sensation when you urinate.

Alongside any medical treatment prescribed there are also some things that you can do to help alleviate the problems of urge incontinence and to help you manage your daily life, no matter the severity of the problem. 

You can look at your lifestyle and make some changes that might make a difference. Some food and drink are known to irritate the bladder, so you can begin to limit caffeine and alcohol intake, reduce acidic and spicy foods and to eat more fibre. Kegel exercises are often prescribed as a way of strengthening the muscles involved in holding urine.

In terms of managing the problem of urge incontinence daily, there are many good incontinence products that you can purchase that will make a huge difference to your comfort and hygiene, whether these are incontinence bedsheets to make for a better night’s sleep, incontinence pads or pants to help increase mobility and comfort throughout the day, or a range of other urinary products.