Incontinence — Urinary
Incontinence — Bladder Control Medical
Dictionary
Incontinence is surprisingly common. Surgery, medications, childbirth,
or injury can interfere with the muscles, nerves and other tissues that work
together for urinary and rectal function. This medical contains the terms used
in the report, Better Bladder and Bowel Control Glossary, and includes
details on the causes of incontinence, its various forms, and what treatments
are available.
anal canal: The last inch of
the rectum before it opens to the outside of
the body.
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): A
noncancerous enlargement of the prostate that
can interfere with urination.
bladder neck: The junction
of the bladder and the urethra.
catheter: A hollow, flexible
tube used to add or remove fluid to or from the
body, commonly inserted into the bladder through
the urethra.
detrusor instability: Involuntary
contractions of the detrusor muscle while the
bladder is filling, resulting in urgency, frequency,
or sometimes incontinence.
detrusor muscle: The layer
of involuntary muscle in the bladder wall; during
urination, it contracts to squeeze urine out
of the bladder into the urethra.
frequency: A type of urinary
incontinence in which a person routinely needs
to urinate more than eight times during the day
or more than twice at night.
functional incontinence: Incontinence
caused by problems (other than gastrointestinal
conditions) that make it difficult to reach a
toilet in time.
impaction: Hardened feces blocking
the rectum or colon.
intrinsic sphincter deficiency: Inability
of the urinary sphincter to close completely.
Kegel: An exercise for the
pelvic floor muscles; used to prevent and treat
incontinence.
micturition: Emptying the bladder;
another name for urination or voiding.
nocturia: Regularly needing
to urinate more than twice during the night.
overactive bladder: Frequent
urination and urges to urinate; a popular name
for detrusor instability.
pelvic floor: The supportive
network of muscles that extends from the pubic
bone to the tailbone with openings for the urethra
and anus as well as the vagina in women.
perineum: The area of skin
between the vagina and anus in women, and between
the scrotum and anus in men.
pessary: A device worn in the
vagina to support or correct the position of
the uterus, rectum, or bladder.
prolapse: A condition in which
a part of the body drops from its normal position.
puborectalis muscle: A pelvic
floor muscle that forms a sling around the rectum.
pudendal nerve: The nerve that
controls the muscles of the pelvic floor; plays
an important role in urinary and fecal continence.
rectocele: A weakening of the
vaginal wall that allows the rectum to bulge
into the vagina.
sling: A slender piece of material
surgically inserted under the urethra or bladder
neck to provide support and improve continence.
sphincter: A circular band
of muscle that surrounds and is capable of closing
off an opening to one of the body’s hollow
organs, such as the rectum.
ureters: The two tubes that
connect the kidneys to the bladder.
urethra: The tube that connects
the bladder to the outside of the body.
urethral hypermobility: Movement
of the urethra out of place when abdominal pressure
increases, leading to stress incontinence.
urgency: A type of incontinence
in which a person feels a sudden and uncontrollable
need to urinate or defecate.
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