The physical therapist will work to stretch tight pelvic floor muscles and help you keep them relaxed. Pelvic floor muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises, help the nerves and muscles that you use to empty your bladder work better. Physical therapy can help you gain control over your urinary retention symptoms.
Treatment. Treatment for urinary retention depends on the type of urinary retention you have—either acute or chronic—and the cause of your urinary retention. Treatments for urinary retention may include draining the bladder, medicines, medical procedures or devices, surgery, and self-care treatments.
Take a warm bath. If your main symptom is a weak urine stream, then relaxing your lower urinary tract muscles or pelvic floor muscles could be a simple urinary retention remedy. In addition to physical therapy, a warm bath is a good way to relax the muscles and aid urination.
If urinary retention is not treated, your bladder may become stretched too far or for long periods. When stretched too far or for too long, the muscles in your bladder may become damaged and no longer work correctly. Kidney damage.
Pelvic floor muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises, help the nerves and muscles that you use to empty your bladder work better. Physical therapy can help you gain control over your urinary retention symptoms.
Urine might be retained if there is an obstruction or stricture (narrowing) in or around the bladder, or when muscles in or around the bladder are weak. Certain types and locations of tumors, certain medications, being dehydrated, or having constipation can also cause urinary retention.
Therefore, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day is one of the essential pieces of any treatment plan for urinary retention. How much water you need per day depends on several factors, including where you live, your activity level, and your age.
You can help prevent urinary retention caused by constipation by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. To help prevent constipation, get enough fiber in your diet, drink plenty of water and other liquids, and get regular physical activity.
Treatment of urinary retention. Many treatments are available for urinary retention, including medication, devices, procedures and surgery. Treatment will depend on the cause and the disease specifics. For acute urinary retention, medical providers will use a catheter to drain the bladder.
Acute urinary retention, such as immediately after major surgery, will usually resolve by itself within a few days to weeks. Obstructive causes may not resolve without surgical relief of the obstruction.
See your doctor immediately if your bladder feels full but you cannot urinate at all. If your doctor is not available, go to the emergency department. See your doctor if you have: symptoms of urinary retention.
Chronic urinary retention — can be a long-lasting medical condition. People with chronic urinary retention can urinate, but they cannot completely empty all of the urine from their bladders.
Acute urinary retention happens suddenly and lasts only a short time. People with acute urinary retention cannot urinate at all, even though they have a full bladder. Acute urinary retention, a potentially life-threatening medical condition, requires immediate emergency treatment.
Infections and swelling
This causes it to press on the urethra to block the flow of urine. A urinary tract infection (UTI) can cause swelling of the urethra or weakness of the bladder, both of which can cause urinary retention. Diseases spread by having sex (called STIs) can also cause swelling and lead to retention.
Limit drinks with caffeine, such as coffee, tea and cola. They can cause you to urinate more. Know that foods such as soup add to the total amount of fluids.
Caffeinated foods and drinks: As a diuretic, caffeine may aggravate symptoms associated with urinary retention, such as urgency. Caffeine is present in a variety of different foods and beverages, including chocolate, coffee and tea. An individual may need to limit caffeine intake to avoid urinary retention.
Walk Regularly to Avoid Retaining Fluids
At night, this fluid causes them to need to empty their bladders frequently. If you have fluid retention in your legs that's causing an active bladder overnight, try walking around more throughout the day.
Using the fingertips, a person can gently but firmly tap the skin near the bladder every 30 seconds to encourage urination. Bending forward while sitting on the toilet puts additional pressure on the bladder, which can encourage urination. Placing a hand in warm water can trigger the urge to pee.
A PVR over 500 mL is widely considered abnormal and generally diagnostic of urinary retention. In addition, it may be highly predictive of cauda equina syndrome if associated with other neurological findings.
InterStim Therapy is an FDA-approved treatment for overactive bladder and urinary retention. With InterStim Therapy, an implantable device sends mild electrical pulses to the sacral nerves to reduce symptoms of bladder control problems, so you can get back to living.
Health care professionals use a postvoid residual measurement to find out how much urine is left in the bladder after urination. The remaining urine is called the postvoid residual. Your health care professional will use a catheter or ultrasound link equipment to measure the postvoid residual urine.