Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is a loss of bladder control that results i leakage when the muscles of the pelvic floor are weak or overactive. Causes include child birth,hormonal changers, surgical trauma, pelvic fractures, chronic cough, obesity, muscle weakness or even repetitive lifting. Physical therapy can help decrease or resolve  urinary leakage, identify bladder irritants and strengthen pelvic floor, muscles through an individualized exercise program.

There are three types of incontinence that can be treated with Physical Therapy:

  • Stress Incontinence – leaking urine during lifting, coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercise.
  • Urge Incontinence – leaking urine when the bladder empties before you can get to the bathroom.
  • Mixed Incontinence – a combination of stress and urge incontinence.
How Can A Physical Therapist Help with Urinary Incontinence?
Physical Therapists are trained to work with muscles that are weak or in spasm. With specialized training, therapists who treat incontinence can help you strengthen or relax your pelvic floor muscles. For patients who have had or may need surgery to help with incontinence, therapy before and after can help strengthen the pelvic floor and improve the post-surgical outcome.
Why Does Incontinence Occur?
For good bladder control, all parts of your system must work together. the pelvic floor must hold up the organs, the sphincter muscles must control the flow of urine, and the nerves must activate these muscles to function. Most bladder control problems happen when the pelvic floor muscles become weak.
Signs Of Incontinence
  • Stress
  • Going to the bathroom more than once every 3 hours
  • Leaking when feeling the urge to go
  • Getting up more than twice a night to use the bathroom
  • Post-surgical
  • Organ prolapse

At Michigan Pelvic Health Institute will do a thorough evaluation to design a plan for your rehabilitation.

Treatment May Include
  • Bladder re-training

  • Lifestyle education

  • Exercise

  • Muscle stimulation

  • Relaxation techniques

  • Home program

Meet Our Therapist

Ashley Niemi, PT, DPT graduated from the University of Evansville, in Evansville, Indiana,, in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sport Science. She continued on to receive her Doctorate of Physical therapy in 2014 from the University of Evansville. After gaining experience as a PT for a year and a half, Ashley began to specialize in pregnancy and postpartum care and urinary incontinence in patients.

Over the last two and a half years, Ashley has taken several additional continuing education classes in order to gain further knowledge to treat this specialized population including courses focusing on bowel issues, pelvic pain, male pelvic conditions, breast cancer, urogenital cancers, endometriosis and more. In addition to her courses related to her specialty, Ashley has taken several courses focusing in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine including Functional Movement Screen, Kinesio-Taping and is a Preferred Graston Technique Provider.

Ashley is currently working towards her Pelvic Health Physical therapist certification and helping to build the Michigan Pelbic Health Institute at Plymouth Physical therapy Specialsis. Moving forward, ashley continues to schedule classes to acquire more knowledge regarding complated pregnancy and postpartum cases, pediatrics and female athletes. Her main coal besides providing excellent patient and outcomes is in educating her patients and instilling confidence that pelvic health is as important aspect in many people’s lives and that most conditions are treatable and are able to be easily maintained.

In Ashley’s spare time, she enjoys snuggling with her dog, watching Sports, traveling with her husband, doing yoga and CrossFit.