Southern Alberta Surgical Centre is the first clinic in Canada that offers a multi-disciplinary, multi-specialist approach to the treatment of incontinence utilizing novel technologies such as InMode™, electric muscle stimulation, and radio-frequency ablation to profoundly improve your quality of life.
What are the Symptoms?
Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Mild cases may only involve difficulty controlling gas, while severe cases can lead to an inability to control both liquid and formed stools. A patient may have a feeling of urgency or experience stool leakage due to frequent liquid stools or diarrhea.
If there is bleeding with lack of bowel control, consult your physician as soon as possible.
What Causes Incontinence?
◇ Childbirth-related injury
◇ Trauma to anal muscles
◇ Age-related loss of anal muscle strength
◇ Neurological diseases
Treatments offered at Southern Alberta Surgical
Diagnosis of incontinence should be made by a trained professional (a General and/or Colorectal Surgeon or a Gastroenterologist). This involves a detailed history, and physical exam, with additional testing of the anal muscles.
INCONTINENCE
There are non-surgical and surgical treatment options that can be used based on the cause and severity of the problem. Your team at Southern Alberta Surgical Center can discuss dietary changes, medications, muscle strengthening exercises, biofeedback, as well as surgical options.
URINARY INCONTINENCE
We offer innovative customized treatments utilizing Empower by InMode. Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is a non-invasive technology to rehabilitate weakened pelvic floor muscles for treatment of UI and can be combined with fractional radio-frequency devices to promote tissue remodeling.
Kinds of Incontinence
Urinary incontinence (UI) is the involuntary loss of urine, a common problem for up to 50% of women at some point in their lifetime.
UI is classified as:
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Stress urinary incontinence: when leakage of urine occurs with increased abdominal pressure such as during coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercise.
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Urge incontinence: where there is a strong urge to urinate immediately followed by loss of urine or urge to urinate frequently.
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Mixed urinary incontinence: when symptoms of stress and urgency are both present.
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Overflow incontinence: caused by incomplete bladder emptying that can lead to leakage or dribbling. UI is caused by a variety of factors including aging, menopause, pregnancy and childbirth, infection, medical conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors. Treatment options vary depending on the type of incontinence.
