Stress Urinary Incontinence

Urinary leaking that occurs with a stressor to the body is called stress incontinence.  The most common stressors are coughing, laughing, sneezing, jumping, running, and similar activities.  While some patients may be prescribed pelvic floor strengthening (“kegels”), it is essential to be evaluated to make sure this is appropriate and squeezes are done correctly.  Some individuals may have stress incontinence due to tight pelvic floor muscles in which case kegels would be counterproductive and possibly make the situation worse.