Chiropractic Care for Incontinence 

Urinary incontinence occurs when someone loses control of their bladder. It’s common, but it’s also embarrassing. In many cases, nothing more than a dietary or lifestyle change is enough to prevent accidents. But further treatment is needed in other cases, and chiropractic adjustment can help.

Several issues put someone at risk of experiencing urinary incontinence. For example:

• Gender: Females have a higher risk
• Age: Older people experience incontinence more than younger people
• Weight: Extra weight increases someone’s likelihood of developing incontinence
• Smoking
• Family history
• Neurological diseases
• Diabetes

Bladder incontinence tends to be embarrassing more than anything else. However, it can cause a few complications, including:

• Skin problems
• Urinary tract infections
• Employment problems

Living with Incontinence

Living with incontinence is difficult. Even temporary bouts of incontinence can cause embarrassment and inconvenience.

Incontinence is common. There are different causes of incontinence, including:

• Stress incontinence: Caused by bladder pressure from sneezing, laughing, exercising, lifting, or coughing.
• Overflow incontinence: Frequent dribbling after you fail to empty your bladder.
• Urge incontinence: Sudden and intense and frequent urge to urinate followed by loss of bladder control. Urge incontinence might be caused by infection or diabetes or nerve dysfunction.
• Functional incontinence: Caused by a mental or physical impairment. Sometimes the cause could be as simple as arthritis preventing you from undoing your pants quickly enough.
• Mixed incontinence: A blend of more than one type of incontinence.

Living with incontinence issues is possible but requires you to take measures to prevent accidents or prevent others from knowing that you’ve had an accident. For many people, long-term or permanent incontinence drastically interferes with their quality of life. Many people avoid activities they’d otherwise enjoy because of their fears about incontinence.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to reduce your concerns about bladder incontinence. While more invasive treatments might help with incontinence, natural options also pose little to no side effects for treating the problem.

Common Causes of Incontinence

Several things can cause incontinence issues. The cause varies based on the type of incontinence someone experiences.

Temporary incontinence might be caused by:

• Diuretic medications
• Heart and blood pressure medications
• Sedatives
• Muscle relaxants
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Large doses of vitamin C
• Artificial sweeteners
• Carbonated drinks
• Chocolate
• Chili peppers
• Spicy, sugary, or acidic foods
• Urinary tract infection
• Constipation

Permanent incontinence might be caused by:

• Hormonal and weight changes that occur during pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Age
• Menopause
• Enlarged prostate
• Prostate cancer
• Obstruction of the urinary tract
• Neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain tumor, spinal injury

The stress that pregnancy and delivery put on a woman’s body is one of the most common reasons people develop incontinence. Chiropractic care is one of the best options for preparing your body for labor and delivery and dealing with the aftermath of birth.

Managing Urinary Incontinence with Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care can effectively manage incontinence because spinal health is important to your overall health. The better your spinal health, the better your body's overall function.

Incontinence is sometimes linked to pressure on your spinal cord. It can also cause lower back pain. And because your bladder muscles are controlled by your central nervous system (CNS), the work a chiropractor does can remove interference and miscommunication between your brain and your urinary system.

A chiropractor fixes subluxations that cause incontinence. Adjustments restore body function and restore alignment through spinal manipulation.

Case Studies

One case study involving 21 people of all ages showed improved bladder control following chiropractic treatments. About half of the participants regained complete control of their leaky bladder.

Another study involving just over a dozen patients receiving consistent chiropractic treatments for two months reduced nightly trips to the bathroom from approximately four per night to only one.

Conclusion

Incontinence is one of the most embarrassing and inconvenient health issues a person can face. Luckily, all-natural chiropractic treatment can help you prevent issues with incontinence. If you experience occasional incontinence or it’s an ongoing issue for you that’s interfering with your quality of life, chiropractic care can help you better manage your situation.

Dr. Eric Neumann D.C.

Dr. Eric Neumann grew up in Alberta, Canada where he majored in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. During his time at University, he obtained licensure as a Massage Therapist. It was clear that hands-on healing would be his calling. After suffering multiple sport-related injuries he became interested in Chiropractic. Dr. Neumann graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in 2009. He has since specialized in the treatment and management of acute spinal injuries.