Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Released: Sat 16-Nov-2002, 00:00 ET  Printer-friendly Version

Ways to Control the Urge

Three different types of behavioral interventions for the treatment of urge incontinence were shown to be effective in a study of more than 200 women age 55 - 92 with urinary incontinence, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The study demonstrates that all three interventions were effective for helping patients identify the pelvic floor muscles and use them to prevent episodes of incontinence," said Kathy Burgio, Ph.D., a UAB gerontologist and author of the study. "What this is telling us is that urinary problems should not be accepted as a normal part of aging. Women should know there are many treatment options available and that leaking urine is not a rite of passage." The study also shows that behavioral treatments can be implemented without special equipment.