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grip strength and urinary incontinence | Image Licensed by Securecat under Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0
Grip Strength & Incontinence | Image Licensed by Securecat under Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0

November is Bladder Health Awareness Month.

At Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy, we take pride in understanding and applying how your whole body affects your pelvic health. In this article, we explore the links between grip strength and urinary incontinence.

A study conducted at the Jeju National University measured grip strength in patients and found statistically significant differences in patients with incontinence, overactive bladder and nocturia4. They found these patients had a weaker grip strength (less than 18kg) using a hand dynamometer. 

Types & Frequency of Incontinence

In the United States, 51% of women live with urinary incontinence1. Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine which can be mild (a few drops) to a complete inability to control the bladder. There can be different triggers that may

cause the leakage such as a sneeze/laugh (stress incontinence) or when there is a sudden and strong urge to urinate (urge incontinence). 16.9% of men and women have a diagnosis of overactive bladder2. Overactive bladder is defined as the frequent and sudden urge to urinate that can be hard to control and could result in incontinence. Nocturia is defined as waking at night with the need to urinate. If you are under 65 years old it is not normal to be awoken from an urge; if over 65 years old it can be normal to wake up one time per night to urinate.  

Grip Strength and Urinary Incontinence

Another study found that women with decreased muscle mass (sarcopenia) have 1.5 times higher rates of stress urinary incontinence3.

The pelvic floor muscles in women support the bladder, bowels, and uterus. These groups of muscles have five functions:

  • support
  • sphincteric
  • sexual
  • stability
  • sump-pump

These studies found that a general decrease in muscle mass is associated with a decrease in the strength and muscle mass of the pelvic floor muscles. Using grip strength can be an effective and quick tool to use to screen patients. This can be especially helpful in the primary care setting.

Many patients report not speaking to their doctor about these symptoms because they are either embarrassed, believe its a normal part or aging/childbirth, think it's not problematic enough or fear having invasive testing4. Using hand strength and a thorough intake could help with earlier diagnosis of these lower urinary tract symptoms. If you think you may be experiencing any of the symptoms linking grip strength and urinary incontinence, please talk to your doctor and/or contact us for an appointment so we can discuss this further. 

 

References

Markland, Alayne D, et al. “Prevalence and Trends of Urinary Incontinence in Adults in the United States, 2001 to 2008.” The Journal of Urology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2011, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3197263/#:~:text=Results,women%20and%2013.9%25%20in%20men. 

Milsom I, Abrams P, Cardozo L, Roberts RG, Thüroff J, Wein AJ. How widespread are the symptoms of an overactive bladder and how are they managed? A population-based prevalence study. BJU Int. 2001 Jun. 87(9):760-6. [Medline].

Erdogan T, Bahat G, Kilic C, Kucukdagli P, Oren MM, Erdogan O, et al. The relationship between sarcopenia and urinary incontinence. Eur Geriat Med. 2019;10:923.

Yang, S.-J., Park, J. H., Oh, Y., Kim, H., Kong, M., & Moon, J. (2021). Association of decreased grip strength with lower urinary tract symptoms in women: a cross‐sectional study from Korea. BMC Women’s Health, 21(1). doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01241-4 

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Testimonial by T.H.

I started seeing Heather in October 2014. For more than two years, I had been suffering from painful urinary tract infection type symptoms after my bartholins gland surgery which included constant burning and urinary frequency sensation that led to more and more painful intercourse. I had made multiple visits to internist, obgyn and urologist's offices, went through a range of treatment with UTI and bladder frequency medication that included antibiotics, vesicare, estrogen cream, but nothing worked.

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Testimonial by R.M., Age 40

I can’t speak highly enough of the theapists at Femina Physical Therapy and how much they have helped me grow, discover, and love my body. I had had painful sex for my entire life, and didn’t know that there was anything that could be done about it. It was at the point where my husband and I were not having sex for MONTHs, because it was just too frustrating, and I hated feeling like I was the ONLY woman out there who had this problem, especially at my age. I finally brought it up to my doctor because I was turning 40 and my husband and I were barely having enough sex to conceive. And she brought up pelvic floor, PT. I didn’t even know this was a “thing”.

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Testimonial by Mary L.

I started seeing Heather to treat my Interstitial Cystitis in November 2016. At this time, I was extremely miserable, in constant pain, and felt as though no one was listening or understood what was going on with my body. I have just finished my last appointment and I can honestly say that my life has completely changed for the better because of Heather and her team of PTs! I live almost completely pain free, and when I do have flare ups, I am able to treat them at home on my own. I am so grateful that this office was recommended to me a honestly cannot recommend them enough!

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Testimonial by Jamie M.

I have been going to see Heather for a while now, and I can't tell you enough how much she has improved my quality of life. Heather specializes in issues like pelvic floor, but I see her for other orthopedic issues.

I have a lot of chronic joint pain and dysfunction issues (back, hips, neck) that require that have ongoing physical therapy maintenance. The effects of my problem joints/areas overlap and interconnect with each other in complex ways, so helping me requires really having a complete understanding of the entire skeletal and muscular system. Pain does not always appear where the problem actually is, the human body is a twisty, many-layered puzzle. I have an exercise program I do at home and I am very functional, but there are just something things I need a PT to help me out with.

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Testimonial by Amanda W.

Heather's unique physical therapy program literally changed my life! After years of struggling with vaginismus, a condition that made it impossible for me to have intercourse and very difficult to use tampons without pain, a gynecologist referred me to Heather. I was nervous for my first appointment, but Heather's professional and friendly demeanor put me at ease. She did a great job explaining each technique she was using to help my muscles relax. Heather uses a combination of internal and external stretches and exercises to relax the pelvic floor and build muscle strength. Her specially developed home program helped me quickly recover from an issue that seemed insurmountable before meeting Heather. She was optimistic about my progress and incredibly encouraging. Less than 6 months after my first session, I was able to have pain-free sex for the first time in my life! If you are suffering from vaginismus or any other pelvic floor issues, I highly recommend making an appointment with Heather and reading her book!

-- Amanda W., 2/15/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by J.H.

My last appointment with Heather was over 6 years ago but I still think of her every day. I don’t take for granted that I can easily get out of bed, care for my two active and busy young boys, run, play tennis, clean my house, or sit at a desk for several hours at a time. None of these tasks were easy for me before meeting Heather. Eight years ago my car was struck from behind by a tractor trailer that was estimated to have been speeding. I spent 3 years working with different PTs and Drs trying to heal and move on with my life. When I became pregnant and the hormone relaxin that “relaxes” all the joints of the body and the additional weight gain erased all my progress and I was suddenly in a lot of pain again. My OB sent me to Heather for one last try.

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Monday 7:30-6:00
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