Parkinson’s Disease Incontinence - What Can You Do?

Parkinson's disease is a disease that causes many different symptoms in the body. Because it's a disease that affects the muscular system, it can cause people to develop muscle contractions that are involuntary. It can also cause twitches and lead to the inability to properly control your muscles. Parkinson's disease can also cause issues with the nervous system, and this will result in symptoms that can affect:

  • Heart rate
  • Blood pressure
  • Gastrointestinal functions
  • Sweating
  • Sexual functions
  • Urinary control

Because Parkinson's disease can affect so many things in the body, it can sometimes be difficult to keep it under control. Parkinson's incontinence is another thing that many people deal with while the disease wreaks havoc on the body. People with Parkinson's incontinence will develop the inability to control their bladder, and this symptom can begin during the early or late stages of Parkinson's disease, but most urinary incontinence usually happens during the later stages of the disease. 

Neurogenic Bladder

This term is used to refer to when your spinal cord doesn't effectively communicate with your bladder. With a neurogenic bladder, your bladder can feel completely full even though it is completely empty. Mixed signals are sent to your bladder that you need to empty it as soon as you can, and this can lead to incontinence. Having an overactive bladder can be quite embarrassing since you'll always be at the mercy of having a bathroom nearby to relieve yourself. An underactive bladder can be embarrassing, as well, because that could lead to accidents happening before you get to the bathroom.

Parkinson's Incontinence Meaning

Incontinence basically just means that you aren't able to hold your bladder, and that can lead to mistakes before being able to relieve yourself. Not every single person with Parkinson's disease will go on to develop bladder problems, but nearly 40% of individuals with the disease will. 

There are around 15% of people will go on to develop incontinence due to Parkinson's disease. If you have incontinence due to Parkinson's disease or are just dealing with incontinence in general, there are some things you can do to get it under control.

If you or someone you know has Parkinson's disease and deals with incontinence because of it, there are some treatments and things that you can keep in mind to keep it under control. Frequent urination can become a roadblock that can get in the way of many of life's activities, and you'll want to do whatever you can to take control of it.

7 Things You Can Do To Deal With Your Parkinson's Incontinence

Urinary incontinence due to Parkinson's disease can be a very annoying thing to deal with, and you'll want to do whatever you can to keep it under control. Here are some things that you can do to address the problem:

1. Seek Out Advice From A Medical Practitioner

Sometimes people wait a little too long before visiting a medical practitioner for urinary incontinence. The proper urinary function is a part of life that you don't want to put off for a long period of time. It can get in the way of too many things, and you could potentially get the problem under control if you visit a medical practitioner for additional advice.

2. Pelvic Exercises

Kegels are a pelvic floor exercise used to strengthen the muscles of the pelvis. These muscles are the ones involved in controlling your urination. Pelvic exercises are the most common exercises prescribed for people dealing with incontinence issues. Kegels are an exercise that you can do wherever you go. ask your medical practitioner for more details surrounding this exercise.

3. Bladder Training

Bladder training is a useful approach to dealing with urinary incontinence. Training your bladder to empty routinely throughout the day will remind you when you should be in the bathroom at specific times. Training your bladder isn't overly complicated to do, and is a useful way to deal with the problem.

4. Urinary Incontinence Medication

Many medications are out on the market for those dealing with incontinence related to Parkinson's disease. There is more and more research being conducted every year for ongoing treatments related to it. Seeking out advice from a urologist will go a long way in educating you on what medications are available to deal with the issue.

5. Incontinence Pads

It's recommended to make use of incontinence products to help deal with the issue. There are a variety of different protective undergarments available on the market that will assist people with absorption and leakage, and when it comes to incontinence supplies, getting products that are comfortable is the main priority. Bladder support devices such as plugs also go a long way in helping those dealing with extreme cases of incontinence.

6. Surgery

Another way to deal with extreme cases of incontinence is surgery. If you think you have incontinence that is severe enough to undergo surgery, discuss it with your urologist. They should go over all of the options that are available for you. Deep-brain stimulation is another procedure that can be considered. With deep-brain stimulation, patients will have wires inserted into their brains. Signals are sent to the brain so that proper communication is being sent and received from the spinal cord and the bladder.

7. Hydration Is Important

Sometimes people will stop drinking fluids throughout the day to deal with their urinary incontinence, and this isn't recommended. Parkinson's disease can cause people to feel like they always need to urinate even though their bladder is completely empty. 

You should never use dehydration as a tool to stop urinary incontinence. Dehydration can lead to other symptoms, and the situation can get worse as a result of doing that. Dealing with incontinence due to Parkinson's disease can be a frustrating and annoying thing to go through. There are many different treatments and potential solutions out there that could work for you. Visit your healthcare practitioner to get more information on dealing with your incontinence today.