Urinary Incontinence and Bladder Dysfunction
Do you feel like your bladder is controlling your life?
If you’re rushing to the washroom the moment you feel the urge, leak when you sneeze or just feel like you always have to go. You’re not alone!
Don’t let leakage, urgency and frequency stop you from doing the things you love!
What I Treat
At Base Pelvic Health, I work with patients experiencing a wide range of bladder and urinary concerns, including:
Stress incontinence (leaking with coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise)
Urge incontinence (a sudden, strong urge to urinate that's hard to control)
Mixed Incontinence (when you have both stress and urge incontinence)
Overactive bladder (frequent urination, urgency, or both)
Nocturia (waking up frequently at night to urinate)
Pelvic organ prolapse contributing to bladder symptoms
Post-prostatectomy urinary leakage in men
How Pelvic Physiotherapy Helps Urinary Symptoms
People often assume that bladder leakage is just a part of aging, especially for women. Once we’ve had a baby, or we start to experience perimenopause and menopause that changes to our urinary control is inevitable. Increased urinary frequency, urinary urgency and wearing pads when we exercise or stopping exercise all together is just to be expected. Urinary incontinence and dysfunction are incredibly common - but these aren’t symptoms you have to live with!
Your pelvic floor muscles play a direct role in bladder control. When these muscles aren’t functioning optimally, i.e. they are too weak, too tight, or not coordinating properly, symptoms like leakage, urgency, and frequency can follow. Pelvic physiotherapy addresses the root cause of your symptoms rather than just masking them.
Through a thorough assessment, I identify what's actually driving your bladder symptoms and create a plan tailored specifically to you. Treatment may include pelvic floor muscle training, bladder retraining strategies, and lifestyle and movement guidance - all explained in plain language so you always understand what we're working on and why.
What to Expect at Your First Appointment
Your first session begins with a detailed conversation. I want to hear your full story - when your symptoms started, what makes them better or worse, and what you're hoping to get back to.
The physical assessment is always guided by your comfort level. It may include an external assessment of posture and movement, and with your consent, an internal assessment to evaluate pelvic floor muscle function directly. Every step is explained before it happens, and you are always in control.
You'll leave your first appointment with a clear understanding of what's going on and practical tools to start making progress right away.
Click here to learn more about what to expect at your first appointment
You Don't Have to Plan Your Life Around the Bathroom
Bladder symptoms affect confidence, sleep, exercise, travel, relationships, and more. Pelvic physiotherapy can help you get back to doing the things you love without constantly worrying about where the nearest washroom is.
Appointments are available in Cambridge, ON with new patients typically seen within a week. Virtual appointments are also available across Ontario.
Ready to take the first step?
Frequently Treated Conditions
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Increased desire to use the washroom to urinate (pee) or defecate (poo). You may find this impacts your day to day activities, limiting where you go or how much liquid you consume.
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When you experience leakage of urine often during a cough, laugh, sneeze or high impact exercise (running/jumping).
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When the urge to urinate is so strong you leak before getting to the washroom.
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May include multiple symptoms such as recurring pelvic pain, pressure, or discomfort in the bladder and pelvic region, and/or urinary frequency and urgency. Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction may contribute to symptoms.
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When the uterus, bladder or rectum have increased movement into the vaginal canal. Often described as feeling pressure vaginally and may or may not be accompanied by tissue at the vaginal entrance.
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Increased urinary urgency and frequency (which may include at night). May or may not be accompanied by urinary leakage as well.
Frequently Asked Questions about Urinary Incontinence and Bladder Dysfunction
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Bladder leakage is extremely common, but common doesn't mean normal, and it doesn't mean you have to live with it! Leaking when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or exercise, and rushing to the bathroom with a sudden urgent need to go, are signs that your pelvic floor may not be functioning the way it should. Pelvic Physiotherapy can be part of the solution!
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Stress incontinence is leaking that happens with physical activity or pressure - like coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, or lifting. Urge incontinence is leaking that happens alongside a sudden, intense urge to urinate that's hard to control. Some people experience both, which is called mixed incontinence. Each type has a different underlying cause and responds to different treatment strategies - which is why a proper assessment matters.
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It's never too late. Many patients have been managing bladder symptoms for years, sometimes decades, before seeking pelvic physiotherapy. Improvement is possible regardless of how long you've been experiencing symptoms. I often work with people post-menopause who are looking for improved bladder control.
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Yes. Urinary leakage in men is most commonly associated with prostate surgery, but it can also occur due to pelvic floor dysfunction unrelated to surgery. Pelvic physiotherapy is an evidence-based treatment for post-prostatectomy incontinence and other forms of male urinary dysfunction.
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Kegels are a valuable exercise in improving and maintaining pelvic floor muscle strength, endurance and coordination. However, they aren’t the only tool in our toolbox! Understanding why you are having incontinence or urinary symptoms is key because not all pelvic floors need kegels. Once we understand the root of your problem then we can find the individualized treatment that will work best for you!