Q: My doctor tells me I have urinary incontinence, but I’m only 35 years old! How is that possible? I thought only elderly people suffered from this.
A: More than 17 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence and over 85% of them are women. Incontinence can affect people of all ages and is not considered a normal part of aging. Often, the problem is present after childbirth, but there are numerous reasons for developing incontinence. Make sure you tell your doctor that you are experiencing incontinence so that an appropriate diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan developed that is right for you. You do not need to alter your lifestyle because of this problem. Treatment options, like physical therapy, can be very successful in alleviating your symptoms. A physical therapist specializing in the treatment of incontinence can evaluate your strength and teach you appropriate exercises and techniques to help you learn to control your symptoms.
Q: What is stress incontinence?
A: If you leak urine when you sneeze, cough, or laugh, you are experiencing stress incontinence. Stress incontinence occurs when the muscles under the bladder are weak (often due to childbirth). Aerobics, running, walking or heavy lifting can also cause this problem. Stress placed upon the bladder during these activities causes the bladder to leak.
Q: I take prescription drugs for incontinence, yet I still leak when I have a strong urge to go to the bathroom. Can I be helped?
A: Urge incontinence occurs when an overwhelming urge to void occurs and you are not able to make it to the toilet in time. This type of incontinence usually causes a greater accident than stress incontinence. It can be due to (but not limited to) muscle weakness or infections in the urethra or bladder. If your physician agrees that physical therapy intervention is appropriate for you, give it a try! With appropriate strengthening and behavioral changes, you may learn to stay dry.
Q: Can physical therapy help men?
A: Yes. Men can be successfully treated for incontinence. The causes of their incontinence may be different, prostate surgery for example, but men are appropriate candidates for physical therapy intervention for urinary incontinence.
Q: My daughter is 9 years old and continues to wet the bed each night. My friends and family tell me not to worry, that she will outgrow this. In the meantime, she refuses to go on sleepovers for fear her friends will know she wears a pull-up to bed. Can you help my daughter?
A: Some children have a family history of bed wetting. There can be other factors besides family history that contribute to bed wetting (nocturnal enuresis) including but not limited to: delayed bladder development, endocrine problems, bowel problems and sleep disorders. Many children who wet the bed are very deep sleepers.
Physical therapy can be an excellent treatment option to allow children to learn to gain control over the muscles involved in bladder control and improve self-esteem. Most children will quickly learn to get rid of the pull-up at night with various behavioral and dietary modifications. Children can achieve great success with treatments and parental guidance. Our staff of highly specialized therapists can help your child overcome this embarrassing and socially limiting problem.
Q: My doctor has been treating me for tailbone pain, and wants me to come to pelvic floor physical therapy. How can pelvic floor physical therapy help me with my pain?
A: Your pelvic floor muscles are designed support your abdominal organs as well as control your bladder, bowels and sexual function. Most of us know from experience that overly tight muscles can be very painful, and tight muscles of the pelvic floor can cause pain from the low abdomen all the way to your tailbone and low back. The physical therapists at Phoenix PT specialize in using a variety of treatments aimed at helping you relax your painful pelvic floor muscles, and restoring normal muscle function.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A:Phoenix Physical Therapy accepts any type of insurance as long as it is not an out-of-state Medicaid program.
Q: Does your specific insurance type cover our services?
A:To find out simply call the customer service number on the back side of your insurance card, and ask questions such as:
- What are your PHYSICAL THERAPY benefits?
- Do you have a deductible?
- Do you need prior authorization?
- Is Phoenix Physical Therapy in or out of network for your plan?
For more information please contact us.