Incontinence Treatment for Men: An Introduction
- Behavioral therapy
- Medications
- Catheters
- Urethral injections
- Artificial sphincter
- Male sling
- Urinary diversion.
No single male incontinence treatment works for everyone. Your treatment will depend on the following factors:
- Type and severity of your problem
- Your lifestyle
- Your preferences.
Your healthcare provider should always try to begin with the simplest treatment options. Many men regain urinary control by changing a few habits, and doing exercises to strengthen the muscles that hold urine in the bladder. If these behavioral treatments do not work, you may choose to try medicines, or a continence device, which is typically either an artificial sphincter, or a catheter. Finally, for some men, surgery is the best choice.
Male Incontinence Behavioral Treatments
For some men, avoiding incontinence is as simple as limiting fluids at certain times of the day, or planning regular trips to the bathroom, which is a therapy called timed voiding, or bladder training. As you gain control, you can extend the time between trips. Bladder training also includes
Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles, which help hold urine in the bladder. Extensive studies have not yet shown that Kegel exercises are effective in reducing incontinence in men, but many clinicians find them to be an important element in therapy.
Some people with nerve damage cannot tell whether they are doing Kegel exercises correctly or not. If you are not sure, you may still be able to learn proper Kegel exercises by doing special training with one or both of the following:
- Biofeedback
- Electrical stimulation.
Biofeedback uses sensors to detect muscle activity, and create a visual or audio signal, when the appropriate muscles are being used.
A small probe, about the size of a pen, is inserted into the anus to record muscle
contractions during the exercises. If you squeeze the right muscle, you will see a change on a television screen, or hear a tone from a speaker.
Mild electrical pulses delivered to the pelvic muscles cause them to contract and grow stronger. This technique can also help you locate the right muscles to use during Kegel exercises.
