It’s more common than you think—and more treatable than you’ve been told.
If you’ve ever leaked a little while sneezing, coughing, laughing, or jogging, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to simply “deal with it”. Urinary incontinence (UI) affects millions of women, yet many are told it’s just a normal part of aging or having babies. The truth? Most cases are highly treatable with pelvic health physical therapy (PT).
Urinary incontinence (UI), or loss of bladder control, can be caused by a long list of factors including fluid take and diet habits, medications, UTIs and certain medical conditions.. A major factor? The pelvic floor muscles—those that support your bladder, uterus, and bowel—can be either too weak or too tense to do their job of keeping you dry properly.
Here are some of the most common causes of pelvic floor muscle imbalance:
During pregnancy, your pelvic floor muscles work overtime to support the growing weight of the baby. By the time the baby arrives, they may be stretched, strained, or even torn. Without targeted recovery, those muscles often tense up as a protective mechanism—leading to leakage with coughing, sneezing, or jumping.
Straining on the toilet puts repetitive stress on the pelvic floor, and retaining stool in the rectum can add pressure on the bladder leading to increased urinary urge. Over time, these extra demands can decrease bladder control and negatively impact the pelvic floor muscles, setting the stage for incontinence—even if you’ve never been pregnant or given birth.
Hormonal shifts, estrogen in particular,during menopause lead to changes in muscle health and elasticity throughout the body, including the pelvic floor. If the pelvic floor muscles lose strength and mobility, they’re less able to respond to movement and urinary urge to keep you dry. It’s not uncommon to experience sleep disturbances and mood changes in this phase of life that can indirectly impact the pelvic floor and contribute to incontinence. Even if you’ve never leaked before, you may stand to benefit from strengthening and targeted exercises to optimize your pelvic health.
Incontinence isn’t always about weak muscles—it can also come from muscles that are too tight or tense. Surgery, trauma, or even prolonged stress can cause the pelvic floor muscles to spasm or stay contracted. When that happens, the muscles can’t relax and engage the way they’re supposed to. This can contribute to both leakage and pelvic pain.
Your pelvic floor is made up of layers of muscles that act like a hammock, supporting the organs in your pelvis (think bladder, uterus, rectum and more). They help control when you pee, when you poop, and even your sexual function. When these muscles are out of balance—either too weak or too tight—you might experience urinary incontinence.
There are several types of urinary incontinence:
Bladder control is a complex process. It involves the bladder itself, the surrounding muscles and the nervous system. The brain and nerves communicate with the bladder, and vice versa - This means that pelvic health physical therapy may involve bladder habit retraining and relaxation strategies. Common habits such as “just in case” peeing before you leave the house or going too frequently to avoid leakage, can actually feed into the problem. Pelvic health PT can help you become aware of your tendencies, and improve them to optimize your bladder control.
Many people experience leakage after giving birth—but “common” doesn’t mean “normal.” If you're still leaking a few weeks postpartum, that’s a signal that your body may need support in recovering and rehab-ing. Pregnancy and birth put a tremendous amount of stress on the pelvic floor muscles, and an expert can help. With pelvic health PT, most people see improvement quickly—even years after delivery.
Even if you’ve never been pregnant or given birth, menopause can come with pelvic floor issues - this includes a frequent need to urinate, finding it hard to completely empty your bladder and urinary incontinence. Estrogen levels drop, tissues become less elastic, and muscles weaken - including your pelvic floor muscles. The resulting leakage, urgency, or trouble fully emptying are all treatable and not symptoms that you need to accept as a part of aging.
Pelvic health PT helps identify the root cause of your incontinence—whether it’s weakness, tightness, or both—and treats it with a personalized plan. The pelvic floor muscles are part of a larger system of muscles known as the “core”, and PT will look at your body holistically to optimize your “core” engagement. Depending on what’s going on, your care might include:
Pelvic health PT is non-invasive, backed by science, and often life-changing. At Kins, we tailor each session to your body, your symptoms, and your goals.
If you’ve been leaking for weeks, months, or even years—know this: it’s not too late, and you’re not stuck with it. Pelvic health PT can help you feel more like yourself again.
