Treatment for Reflex Incontinence

Reflex incontinence, also known as unaware or unconscious incontinence, occurs when the bladder muscle involuntarily contracts and causes urine leakage. The person who has the condition doesn’t have any warning or feel the urge to urinate, so they cannot control the leakage or make it to the toilet in time. This type of urinary incontinence happens when the bladder and the neurological system don’t communicate properly. Our Houston urologists understand how stressful this condition is and how severely it affects people’s quality of life. We offer expert diagnosis and treatment to help patients cope with all types of incontinence.

What causes reflex incontinence?

There are two types of unaware incontinence: supraspinal and spinal.

• Supraspinal incontinence occurs when a condition such as Parkinson’s disease, a stroke or other neurological issue prevents the brain from communicating with the bladder properly.
• Spinal incontinence happens when an injury or health condition causes an interruption of communication between the spinal cord and the brain.

Several health problems cause reflex incontinence.

• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Cerebral palsy
• Stroke
• Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
• Radiation treatment
• Spinal cord damage caused by surgery
• Spinal cord birth defects
• Brain or spinal cord tumors

How does this type of incontinence affect patients’ quality of life?

Left undiagnosed and untreated, urinary incontinence damages patients’ quality of life in several ways. Reflex incontinence, in particular, can cause patients to isolate themselves because they have no control over bladder leakage. Here are some of the negative effects our Houston urologists see in those who ignore unconscious incontinence.

• Social isolation: People stay home and avoid company due to embarrassment or anxiety.
• Lack of control can lead to anxiety and depression.
• Urinary issues can cause people to avoid intimacy.

Our Houston urologists diagnose and treat unconscious incontinence

Our highly trained and skilled urologists treat everyone who has incontinence issues with compassion and care. Nobody should avoid treatment due to embarrassment.

Our team begins the diagnostic process with an examination and medical history. From there, they may order other tests and use other diagnostic tools, such as imaging and urodynamic studies, to determine the cause and severity of the patient’s unconscious incontinence.

Our team creates individualized treatment plans to address patients’ unique needs. There are several treatment options to help manage reflux incontinence.

• Bladder training
• Different types of catheterization
• Medication
• Medical devices
• Urologic surgery

No one should suffer from reflex incontinence symptoms alone. Contact us for an appointment to get your life back on track with proper diagnosis and treatment.