Feeling like you have to go to the bathroom all the time? Waking up at night multiple times? Social situations have you worried? Always thinking of where the bathroom is and IF there is one when you go out? Keep on reading.

The “normal” amount of times to urinate per day is 5-8 times, and this obviously changes if fluid intake is increased or decreased, including any diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine. However, the important part is more likely if you feel uncomfortable holding your bladder or feel you have to go so many times that it is affecting your day to day living or social and work life.

The first thing to know is that your brain plays an important role in controlling your bladder AND we can retrain the brain. The more you go to the bathroom, the more your brain thinks you have to go to the bathroom and it can become a habit. To retrain this habit, do the following:

1. When you get urgency, try doing belly breathing, focus on slowing down your breath

2. Walk slowly to the bathroom (no rushing allowed!) and change your clothes slowly before sitting down

3. Once doing the above a few times, work on delaying before you go to the bathroom - this could be as short as a few seconds. Over time, increase the time you delay before going to the bathroom. For some people, the urgency fades away and they wonder if they actually had to go in the first place!

4. You can also try distracting yourself by counting backwards from 100, or busying yourself with housework so your brain has something else to think of. Or you can focus on the breathing for a few minutes as you delay.

Over time, you will train your brain to not send signals to go to the bathroom which will also help the bladder properly relay to you when it actually is full so you know it was a time when you really did need to go and empty.

Practice this at home first and then in public, especially if you feel you will urinate yourself if you don’t rush to the bathroom. Most often, even if there is leakage initially, it should resolve if you continue to work away on the above strategies. If your urgency resolves but leakage remains, you may experience mixed urinary incontinence or urge incontinence, which is explained in a later article.

If you try these techniques and are still experiencing bladder urgency, book in with a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist who can help you assess and treat exactly what is going on.

It can be confusing to know what kind of appointment to book with your healthcare provider, so this post is here to try and make it simple.

 Appointments range from assessments, follow ups and introductory phone consultations that are complimentary. The purpose of the phone chat is to get to know your history, the pelvic symptoms you may be experiencing (or trying to prevent), and a discussion of how pelvic floor physiotherapy can help. We want to ensure that pelvic physiotherapy is a right fit for you at this point in time and allow you to ask us any questions you might have regarding how it works.

 This meet and greet is a great way of finding out who your therapist will be and to confirm that your symptoms will be able to be addressed. We will also give you information about what the assessment and treatment might entail. 

Phone consults are free and flexible with timing. To book yours, click the button below. For further questions, comment on the post or e-mail us at hello@kaaiaa.co.

Seven years of working as a Physiotherapist has taught me something key: always put the patient first. Simple, yet we sometimes forget that the patient is the one that guides treatment and the more we can listen to and tailor treatment to our patients, the better the results will be.

I have been passionate about pelvic floor health since graduating from physiotherapy school. There is a lack of focus on the pelvic floor and wait times continue to be long to access both publicly funded and clinic appointments. With this in mind, after working in both Toronto and Calgary, I decided to open a clinic focused solely on pelvic health. The vision of Kaaiaa Health and Wellness is to be an inclusive space where men, women, and children can access care that combines both science and personalized care.

Every person is treated as an individual versus just a number. We provide one-on-one appointments taking a thorough history, assessing the specific areas, and providing manual therapy, exercises, and education tailored to your needs.

Appointments are available starting September 16th, most days of the week, including mornings, afternoons, and evenings.

Questions? E-mail us at hello@kaaiaa.co or book a free phone consultation with us through the website chat box.