Male stress incontinence is a condition where the individual often experiences spontaneous leakage of urine due to certain activities that put pressure on the abdominal area.
Often resulting in weakened pelvic floor muscles or sphincter dysfunction, this condition is more prevalent in aged men or men who just had prostate surgery.
Managing adult incontinence, let alone stress incontinence, can hinder the way of your life due to increased stress, discomfort, and a constant urge to pee. However, with the right guidance, certain tips and professional help, you can surf your way through this condition with ease.
Whether you want to treat it by adjusting your lifestyle, which might take time or an immediate cure through specific devices, there is a solution for everyone out there.
Are you curious to know more about these options?
Follow this blog as we discuss factors that lead to stress incontinence, offer you remedies to manage it and help you regain confidence.
Understanding Male Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence is characterized by the inability of the pelvic floor muscles and the urinary sphincter to perform adequately when subjected to physical stress. In males, this is often related to other medical procedures or illnesses that compromise the bladder’s support system.
What Causes Male Stress Incontinence?
Several factors can contribute to male urinary incontinence, including.
- Prostate Surgery: Surgeries such as prostatectomy (the surgical removal of the prostate) can damage the muscles needed for urinary control.
- Pelvic Trauma: Some pelvic injuries may affect the action of specific muscles or cause nerve damage.
- Aging: Muscle strength progressively regresses with aging, making older men vulnerable.
- Neurological Conditions: Conditions such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis can interfere with the nerve impulses and cause bladder issues.
- Chronic Strain: Illnesses like chronic coughing, obesity or lifting heavy objects can cause prolonged pressure on the pelvic muscles.
Signs of Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence involves various signs that an individual is suffering from it, such as:
1. Physical Activities: Exercising, Lifting heavy objects, Sudden movements.
2. Body Actions: Laughing, Coughing, Sneezing
3. Pregnancy or Childbirth: Vaginal delivery, Hormonal changes during pregnancy
Options for Managing Male Stress Incontinence
There are many options for managing male stress incontinence; you can either go for mom-surgical options that basically require a longer duration or surgical options that don’t require much time but rest after the surgery. The first on our list is pelvic floor exercises, a non-surgical option.
1. Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic Floor Exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, help to tone muscles around the area of the pelvis that supports the bladder and urethra. These exercises encompass tightening and relaxing the pelvic muscles to enable men to gain better control of their bladder.
How to Perform Kegels
In order to perform the Kegel exercise, follow the steps given below.
- To identify where your pelvic muscles are, try to hold up your urine mid-flow.
- When you try to hold your urine, you will feel stress on a particular muscle in your pelvic region; these are known as pelvic muscles.
- Once identified, try to contract and release these muscles for 5 seconds.
- Perform this exercise 10-15 times each time for a few days, and you will be able to regain control of your urine.
Benefits
- Non-invasive and cost-free.
- Advances muscle tone over time.
- It can be practiced discreetly in any environment.
Kegel should be considered as the long-term management solution for mild to moderate incontinence only because it can take several weeks or even months to see results.
2. Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes can be considered as another effective option for treating this condition. By adopting a healthier lifestyle, you can make a significant change in managing stress incontinence. Key lifestyle modifications include:
- Weight Management: Obesity is known to exert extra pressure on the bladder.
- Quitting Smoking: Cutting down the coughing that arises from smoking puts minimal stress on the pelvic muscles.
- Avoiding Bladder Irritants: Avoid drinks like coffee or tea, which contain caffeine, alcohol or spicy foods, which are likely to make the bladder inflamed.
- Timed Voiding: Accidental leaks can be avoided by planning frequent restroom visits.
These changes help overall health and are effective, along with other approaches to treatment.
3. Incontinence Products
For quick and nearly odorless solutions, you can go for male incontinence products like diaper pads or adult briefs since they are disposable in nature and offer protection from leakage. These are especially handy when traveling, working, or at dinner or banquets.
Types of Absorbent Products
- Guards or Shields: Thin garments can be worn directly over underwear.
- Pull-Up Briefs: Similar to pull-ups, they offer moderate protection and can be worn like regular underwear.
- Adult Diapers: Diapers for adults intended for use in patients who have greater levels of incontinence. If you’re suffering from severe incontinence, it is best to opt for heavy duty adult diapers, as they have greater absorbency than standard diapers.
- Bed pads for incontinence: Bed pads are like sheets that are placed over or under the bedsheets to prevent moisture from entering the mattress.
Today, manufactured incontinence products for men are thin, have odor-eliminating attributes, and are aimed at offering comfort for a limited period.
4. Medications
The drugs can help treat stress incontinence by increasing the tone of the muscles and decreasing the sensitivity of the bladder. Standard options may comprise:
- Alpha-Blockers: Helps reduce the muscle tension around the bladder, which helps increase control.
- Anticholinergics: Helps in managing bladder spasms.
- Duloxetine: Helps to increase the strength of the sphincter muscles.
Prior to taking any medication, one should always consult a doctor since wrong medication or incorrect dosage can have adverse effects on the body.
5. Devices for Male Stress Incontinence
With the rise of technology, scientists and physicians have developed specific devices that help manage incontinence. Some of them are listed below.
- Penile Clamps
Penile clamps are small, padded devices that constrict a tube that lies on the skin’s surface to inhibit the release of urine. They are more often applied on a temporary or specific-use basis.
- Advantages: Economical and efficient for the initial management.
- Disadvantages: It may cause some skin chafing or poor blood flow if applied and misused.
- External Collection Devices
Being external devices, catheters capture urine when expelled from the body. It is beneficial for men suffering from severe incontinence.
- Advantages: Completely painless and perfect for long-term use.
- Disadvantages: It may cause skin reactions on prolonged use.
6. Behavioral Therapies
Behavioral therapies focus on retraining the bladder and improving control through methods like:
- Bladder Training: Gradually lengthening the intervals between periods of time one spends at the restroom to improve one’s bladder capacity.
- Biofeedback: A technique that entails the use of sensors on male patients to assist them in identifying and improving their pelvic floor muscles.
These therapies are mostly combined together to achieve the best results.
7. Advanced Surgical Options
If you want a quick cure for incontinence, then opting for surgery should be your move. However, rest is advised after the surgery is done. The 2 most effective surgeries for treating incontinence are:
- Artificial Urinary Sphincter (AUS)
An implant, known as the Artificial Urinary Sphincter, is made up of a cuff, which is placed around the urethra to stop urine leakage, while a pump is positioned in the scrotum, and lastly, a reservoir is inserted in the abdomen.
- Advantages: Known as the gold standard technique for treating severe stress incontinence.
- Success Rate: Moderately high, and its efficacy is long-lasting for the majority of male clients.
- Limitations: Needs surgical intervention and gets repeated after some period of time.
- Bladder Neck Suspension
This surgical method helps support the bladder, neck and urethra, which, in effect, may alleviate stress incontinence.
- Advantages: Applicable for male patients who have not been responsive to other treatment procedures and are considered less harmful.
- Limitations: Recovery generally takes a longer time than most procedures.
Bottomline
It might be daunting to deal with stress incontinence, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that assistance is available.
Each person’s path is different, and it might take time and perseverance to discover the best answer.
Seek assistance, consider your alternatives, and embrace the journey to a more comfortable and satisfying life rather than letting incontinence hold you back.
