2 Lies & A Truth [Bladder Edition]
#1 You can have a small (LIE!)
FUN FACT: An empty bladder is actually about the size of a pear!
The other day I had a patient say he has a bladder “the size of a peanut” and it runs in his family. I explained it’s a learned behavior by the bladder, likely a learned behavior passed down due to his parents’ behaviors (I.e. everyone tries to pee when leaving the house). So what causes that?
Typically, your first awareness of bladder filling is when it’s about 40% full. If you constantly go when your bladder is only 40% full, your bladder will get used to only stretching to that capacity. It will start to recognize that as “full”. In that case, your bladder will decrease its tolerance to stretching and become hypersensitive to increased stretch- you’ll feel like you can’t hold for as long.
ADVICE: Push it! See if you can go a little longer between bathroom trips.Try to find that sweet spot of how long you can go without starting to sweat.
Checkout this Instagram post for tips to decrease how often you go!
#2 Urinary leakage is a part of aging (LIE!)
This is a lie that so many people believe and I’m not quite sure where it comes from. I think people have been settling for leakage for years and because their friends do it too they don’t realize we can stop this.
Urinary leakage is common but not “normal”. When I say that, I mean urinary leakage is common but should not be accepted as every person who’s given birth’s normal. Frequently, when evaluating a patient for something like constipation or prolapse, we start talking about bladder habits and they casually mention they have urinary leaks but completely brush it off. I can’t tell you how many times people have said “oh well I had THIS many big babies and my body just never recovered” or “yeah I leak but so did my mom and it’s just an age thing”. No. It. Ain’t!
Have you had urinary leakage with activity? Exercise or laughing really hard? There are so many reasons people have leakage and often their doctor says “oh just do kegels”. Though that may help some people, that isn’t always the answer. Pelvic physical therapy can help. Please don’t settle for kegels healing you. And please don’t settle for having leakage!
In pelvic PT, we assess your pelvic floor muscles (strength, coordination, endurance, mobility and tone) along with your core and hips strength, mobility, and mechanics. We’ll give you appropriate exercises and stretches to help.
Want the Truth?
Typically I expect people pee every 3-4 hours. It depends on your fluid intake but my goal is closer to 4 hours than 3.
Technically, your bladder should be able to hold 16-20 ounces (about 2 cups). That’s about 15 seconds with a steady stream (without pushing).
Up to about 1.6oz left in the bladder after you pee is within “normal” limits. Often, you aren’t 100% empty because your kidneys are constantly filtering and the ureters are constantly dropping a little bit of urine into the bladder. Don’t ~push~ if you don’t feel totally empty. Relax and let what comes out come. However, if you constantly feel like you’re not emptying, see a physician to asses what’s going on. If the muscles aren’t relaxing to empty, pelvic PT could help.
Checkout THIS video for tips to empty a little better.
