Stress Incontinence vs. Urge Incontinence: Understanding the Differences and Finding Solutions
Stress Incontinence vs. Urge Incontinence: Understanding the Differences and Finding Solutions
If you’ve experienced leaking when you laugh, sneeze, or jump—or felt a sudden, urgent need to pee that you couldn’t control—you’re not alone. Stress incontinence and urge incontinence are two common types of pelvic floor dysfunction, and while they’re often grouped together, they’re caused by very different issues.
Let’s dive into what’s happening in your body when these problems arise, the role pelvic floor dysfunction plays, and why solutions like Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ may work well for some, but not all, types of incontinence.
A Quick Look at Your Pelvic Floor Anatomy
Your pelvic floor is a complex group of muscles, ligaments, and fascia (connective tissue) that work together to support your bladder, uterus, and rectum. These structures play a key role in controlling urination, bowel movements, and sexual function.
When everything is functioning properly, your pelvic floor muscles contract and relax as needed, maintaining a delicate balance of strength and flexibility. But when there’s dysfunction—whether from childbirth, aging, trauma, or other factors—this balance can break down, leading to symptoms like incontinence.
Fascial restrictions (tightness in the connective tissue surrounding your muscles) can further complicate things by limiting the pelvic floor’s ability to work properly, especially in cases of stress incontinence. However, urge incontinence involves a different mechanism that’s less tied to fascial issues and more about communication between the bladder and brain.
Stress Incontinence vs. Urge Incontinence: What’s the Difference?
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence occurs when sudden pressure on the bladder overwhelms the pelvic floor muscles, causing leakage. This often happens during activities like coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising.
Why It Happens:
Weak or overstretched pelvic floor muscles (commonly due to childbirth or aging).
Fascial restrictions that reduce the pelvic floor’s ability to provide proper support.
Poor coordination between the core and pelvic floor, making it harder to control pressure.
How Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ Helps:
Stress incontinence responds well to therapies that restore balance in the pelvic floor. Releasing fascial restrictions and improving muscle coordination through techniques like Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ can significantly reduce symptoms by addressing the root causes.
Urge Incontinence
Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, involves a sudden, intense need to urinate, sometimes resulting in leakage before you can reach the bathroom. This isn’t necessarily tied to weak muscles or fascial restrictions. Instead, it’s caused by a miscommunication between the bladder and the brain.
Why It Happens:
The bladder contracts involuntarily, sending urgent signals to the brain even when it’s not full.
This can be triggered by nerve dysfunction, irritation, or other conditions affecting bladder control.
Can Fascial Rebalancing Help with Urge Incontinence?
While fascial release may help in some cases by reducing tension that irritates the bladder or surrounding nerves, it’s not always the solution for urge incontinence. This condition often requires additional approaches, such as retraining bladder habits, managing triggers, or addressing underlying nerve communication issues.
Why Kegels Aren’t Always the Answer
Many people are told to do kegels for incontinence, but they’re not a cure-all. In cases of tight or overactive pelvic floor muscles, kegels can actually make things worse by increasing tension. That’s why it’s essential to understand whether your pelvic floor needs strengthening, releasing, or a combination of both.
How Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ Can Help
Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ is a trauma-informed therapy that addresses tension, imbalances, and misalignment in the pelvic floor. It’s particularly effective for stress incontinence, as it focuses on:
Releasing fascial restrictions to restore mobility and support.
Improving pelvic alignment through chiropractic adjustments.
Enhancing muscle coordination with breathwork and gentle myofascial techniques.
This holistic approach helps the pelvic floor function more effectively, reducing leaks and improving overall comfort.
Solutions for Stress and Urge Incontinence
If you’re dealing with incontinence, here’s a roadmap to find relief:
Seek Professional Help: A pelvic floor specialist can assess whether your symptoms are caused by muscle weakness, tension, or nerve-related issues.
Consider Fascial Therapy: For stress incontinence, therapies like Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™ can address tension and restore balance.
Bladder Retraining for Urge Incontinence: Techniques like timed voiding or managing triggers can help retrain your bladder-brain communication.
Improve Core and Postural Alignment: Addressing how your core and pelvic floor work together can reduce strain and improve control.
Breathwork: Proper breathing techniques can regulate pressure and support pelvic floor function.
Take the Next Step Toward Relief
Living with incontinence doesn’t have to be your reality. At The Center Chiropractic in Oakland, we specialize in Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™, offering a gentle, trauma-informed approach to pelvic floor care. While this therapy is particularly effective for stress incontinence, it may also provide relief for tension-related aspects of urge incontinence.
If you’re ready to explore how this holistic approach can help, book an appointment today. Let’s work together to restore balance, improve function, and help you feel confident and in control again.
References:
Bordoni, B., Sugumar, K., & Leslie, S. W. (2023). Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Pelvic Floor. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Cornelius, D. Danielle Cornelius - Trauma-Informed Pelvic Care and Gyno Fascial Rebalancing™.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Myofascial Release Therapy. (2024). PMC.
