Incontinence with Arthritis

About 25 million Americans mostly women, are affected by incontinence with arthritis being a possible cause of it. Although incontinence, or the involuntary loss or urine, is very common in the elderly it is also susceptible to middle aged people as well. It is believed by many of those affected that incontinence results from problems controlling their bladder. However, the main reason why this happens is because of not being able to get to a restroom quick enough. As soon as the need to urinate arises, those affected by incontinence have trouble getting up or moving usually due to arthritis which is a main companion of this problem.

In a study conducted by doctors L. Turner-Stokes and A. O. Frank for the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, their hypothesis that "problems with urinary control among rheumatoid arthritis patients are related to disability rather than specific urinary tract pathology", was supported by the fact that arthritis patients had higher disability scores than those who did not have arthritis. Doctors also believe there are many types of incontinence that require physical exams and medical tests to confirm a proper diagnosis and if the patient would need medication or surgery to treat it.

Despite all the reasons one may have incontinence, there are multiple things one can do to help reduce the risk of accidents. Those affected could either, make adjustments to their home so that a restroom is more easily accessible, train their bladder to a scheduled time for restroom breaks, or simply use incontinence products such as adult underwear or briefs for no more worries. These methods do call for some motivation and effort, but they go a long way in fighting back incontinence with arthritis symptoms. It's important to understand that incontinence is a common problem for many people and having the confidence in acknowledging it first in order to prevent it is the key to solving it.