Urinary Incontinence2026-06-02T13:11:21+00:00

What is Urinary Incontinence & Why Does it Happen?

Put simply, it’s when someone experiences difficulty controlling when urine leaks from the bladder and it’s more common than many realise. It can range from occasional leaks to more frequent episodes that start to affect a persons confidence and their daily life.

Thankfully, it’s not something that needs to be “put up with.” It is not an inevitable part of ageing or having children and there are a whole host of ways to treat it.

Bladder incontinence and leaking

Why You May Be Leaking Urine

It can happen when the pressure inside the abdomen increases faster than the bladder or pelvic floor muscles can manage it – like when we cough, sneeze, run or lift something heavy. Or sometimes it can feel like a sudden urge to go and not making it in time. It can happen if the muscles are not working in a coordinated way. For instance, contracting when they need to relax or relax when they need to be squeezing. Sometimes it’s not down to a single cause, but from a combination of issues over time.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

Stress incontinence: Leaking with physical pressure from coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise.

Urgency incontinence: A sudden, strong urge to pass urine that’s difficult to hold.

Mixed incontinence: A combination of both stress and urgency symptoms.

How Can Women’s Health Physiotherapy Help With Bladder Problems?

If leaking is affecting your exercise, work, or confidence in everyday situations, it’s worth getting it assessed and treated. Based near Lincoln, Inline Therapies can help your bladder symptoms in a practical and straightforward way.

Common Causes of Bladder Leaks

There might be one or multiple factors contributing to your symptoms. Pregnancy, childbirth, changes in pelvic floor strength or coordination, hormonal changes, repeated heavy lifting, what we eat/drink or bladder habits – can all play a part.

How Physiotherapy Can Help

Treatment is tailored to what you need. It may include pelvic floor training or work on pressure management during movement. We might look at retraining the bladder, and strategies to improve function during exercise and daily activities.

What to expect

We’ll talk through your symptoms and daily life to help understand what’s happening. We’ll chat through your bladder diary – which will be emailed before your first appointment. Together we’ll make a plan and discuss strategies and techniques to get started with straight away. In a later appointment you may be offered a pelvic floor assessment, if we agree it would be useful and you feel comfortable.

Pelvic Floor Exercises Help or Hinder?

Pelvic floor exercises can be very effective if the issue is weakness or poor coordination. However, not all bladder symptoms are caused by weakness, so Kegels may not be effective. The muscles may already be working so hard, that they need to learn how to relax in order to be able to contract properly. That’s why finding out matters. It can also be useful to check technique, and to know how long it may take to see improvements.

Why You May Be Leaking Urine

It can happen when the pressure inside the abdomen increases faster than the pelvic floor and bladder can manage it such as when coughing, sneezing, running, lifting. Or sometimes it can feel like a sudden urge to go and not make it in time. It can be a problem with muscles not working in a coordinated way. Sometimes it’s not down to a single cause but a combination of factors.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

Stress incontinence: Leakage during physical pressure such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise.

Urgency incontinence: A sudden, strong urge to pass urine that is difficult to hold.

Mixed incontinence: A combination of both stress and urgency symptoms.

What’s a Bladder Diary?

You’ll be emailed a bladder diary before your appointment and asked to complete it at home. It’s a simple record of your fluid intake and bladder habits over 2–3 days. It helps build a clearer picture of what’s happening day to day, including patterns you might not notice otherwise. It looks at:

  • What and how much you drink, and when
  • When you pass urine, and how much (if known)
  • Any urgency or leakage episodes

This information really helps guide assessment and treatment. It can be incredibly useful, but isn’t compulsory.

Bladder diary for female incontinence

Frequently Asked Questions

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please get in touch.

Your first women’s health physio appointment will be for 70 minutes. This gives us the time to really understand your concerns and create a plan that works for you. During the first session we will talk through your symptoms, how they affect your daily life, and any relevant past injuries or experiences.

We may assess how your body moves and we’ll discuss findings so you know what may be happening and why. Together we’ll decide what you can get going with straight away. We’ll keep it simple and as easy to fit into your lifestyle as possible.

Follow-up appointments are a chance to check in with how things feel, any progress and to move things on. As your body adapts, your exercises and advice will evolve too. The goal is steady progress without feeling overwhelmed. Only when it’s helpful, treatment might include gentle hands-on techniques, such as soft tissue work or release techniques, to support movement and ease tension.

You’ll always leave with a clear plan and an understanding of the next steps. There’s no pressure to be perfect – progress over time is what matters.

If you have any questions between sessions or want to talk through anything before your next appointment, you can email support@inlinetherapies.co.uk

Any treatment or assessment is always explained beforehand and only carried out with your consent. You are always in control of what you are comfortable with. The appointments are completely led by what you want to focus on.

Due to the nature of the clinic, we do not have the facility to offer a chaperone for your appointment. Your first appointment generally does not include a vaginal examination. Instead, we focus on finding out about your symptoms and what your goals are, then putting a plan in place for you to start from that day.

In some cases, later in your treatment, a vaginal examination might provide extra insight and we would talk through it first. I will answer any questions you might have and the decision is always yours. Your comfort and preferences will be respected at every step.

You are welcome to bring an informal chaperone, such as an adult family member or friend. Please note that the clinic will need to be made aware that a chaperone will be present at the appointment, at the time the booking is made.

If a chaperone is brought to an appointment without prior arrangement, the appointment will not proceed. However, it will still be charged as it would not be possible for the appointment to be filled at short notice by another person in need.

Every person is different, so there’s no set number or time. It will depend on your symptoms, consistency with advice and techniques, and what your goals are. For instance, research has shown that for urinary incontinence it typically takes around 3-4 months of consistent effort to notice symptom improvement. Many women might start to see improvements by the third session and be discharged by session five or six.

That means you could be just a few appointments away from feeling confident, comfortable, and back in control! We’ll work together to create a plan that fits your lifestyle and goals. Every small success will be celebrated along the way.

You’ll receive guidance on performing pelvic floor muscle exercises correctly, and advice around lifestyle changes related to your specific issue. It’s so important to remain consistent with your treatment plan at home, even if it feels challenging at times. Without consistency, changes may take much longer or not happen at all.

Everything that we work through, will provide you with the tools you need to manage these changes and maintain good pelvic health for life.

In most cases a GP referral is not required so can make an appointment with us directly. I am registered with WPA, Bupa and AXA Health Insurance. If you are a member of them, you may be able to claim your treatment through your policy. Contact your insurance provider and they will give you a ‘pre-authorisation code’ to provide at the time of booking.

However, there are a few exceptions where a doctor’s referral might be necessary. This includes if you have a specific medical condition that needs a doctor’s clearance before undergoing treatment.

You would not have an internal examination if any of the following were relevant to you at the time of the appointment. However, we can still complete a thorough assessment of everything else, which would provide information to design a treatment plan for you. Internal examinations would not be carried out with the following:

*First 3 months of pregnancy
*Within 6 weeks of vaginal or cesarean delivery
*Within 6 weeks after pelvic surgery
*Atrophic vaginitis, a condition of fragile skin seen in cases
of oestrogen deficiency
*Active pelvic infection
*Severe pelvic or vaginal pain, especially pain during
penetration or intercourse

If you can’t or don’t want to have an internal vaginal examination, it does not mean that your treatment will be limited. There are lots of other ways I can help you.

If you’re unsure whether you need a referral, feel free to get in touch for further advice.

It’s best to wear comfortable, loose-fitting or flexible clothing that allows for easy movement. If you have pelvic pain, low back pain and/or abdominal pain there is often an element of undressing required. This is also the case for any physiotherapy appointment.

Alternatively, wear suitable underwear. Clothing needs to be comfortable and easy to move around in.

Your comfort is paramount during your appointments. We want to ensure your clothing helps rather than hinders your progress.

When an appointment is booked, the time is not available to anyone else. I know that sometimes things come up and plans need to be changed. Therefore, I ask that any changes or cancellations are made with at least 24 hours notice. You can do this via your client portal up to 24 hours prior or get in touch.

As I work on a 1:1 basis, if there is less than 24 hours notice, the appointment will need to be paid for as I would not be able to fill it with someone else. Please do get in touch if you have any concerns or questions regarding this. I would like you to feel 100% comfortable about any booking you make.

“Lisa worked with me to manage my pelvic pain after a recent endometriosis diagnosis, and took the time to explain the more intricate causes of chronic pelvic pain that sometimes goes along with endometriosis. Lisa is kind and helpful, and teaches alongside her treatment, giving you the tools to look after your body. I cannot stop recommending Lisa (as well as the importance of female health and general pelvic pain therapy).“

L. R, Lincoln

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