 Definition of Urology
Urology is the medical specialty dedicated to the treatment of disorders and diseases related to the male and female
Genito-Urinary organs including the kidney, ureters, bladder, prostate and genitalia. Problems in these areas are common and new medical technology continues to offer an expanding array of effective treatments.
What is a Urologist?
A Urologist is a physician who has completed a certified residency training program. A board certified Urologist has successfully completed oral and written exams conducted by the American Board of Urology. Urologists must repeat certification exams every 10 years. Urologists have specialized knowledge and skill with regard to problems of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. Although Urology is classified as surgical subspecialty, the Urologist requires knowledge of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, and other specialties.
Doctor Robinson and his staff at The Urology Place are experienced medical professionals in the specialty of Urology. Our board certified Urologist and staff focus is primarily on the treatment of female urinary system disorders.
Urinary System Overview
Bladder
Bladder control problems are medical conditions that prevent you from being able to control when you urinate. If you live with a bladder control problem you are not alone. Over 30 million Americans, both men and women, suffer from the involuntary loss of urinary control. While there may be many different causes and degrees of severity, one thing is certain: bladder control problems are not normal in adults of any age. Most problems can be treated successfully at any age. More than ten billion dollars are spent each year on this condition and, of this, one billion is spent on adult diapers. Overactive Bladder and Urinary Incontinence can lead to embarrassment, prevent those affected from participating in life's activities as they would like, and leads to social isolation. The information below covers overactive bladder and urinary incontinence. To better understand incontinence it helps to know a bit about the urinary tract (urinary system) particularly the parts that store and release urine.
Three sets of muscles control urine. One set is the bladder muscle itself. The second set is sphincter muscles that open and close the urethra and the third set is the pelvic floor muscles. They support the uterus, rectum and the bladder. The bladder is the muscle that sits just under your pubic bone and is connected to the kidneys. The two tubes (ureters) bring urine made by the kidneys down to the bladder. The bladder has two main jobs:
1) Every time you eat or drink, your body absorbs liquids. The kidneys filter out waste products from the blood and make urine.
2) To empty the urine out that it has stored or "to void".
When the bladder is trying to store urine its job is to relax. The bladder is helped out with its storage function by two muscles, the internal sphincter and the external sphincter. These sphincters are muscles too and their job is to squeeze down tight to prevent loss of urine during storage. Pelvic floor muscles under the bladder also help keep the urethra closed. Urine stays inside the bladder when the sphincter and the pelvic floor muscles are tight. When the bladder is trying to empty urine its job is to contract and the sphincters help out here too by relaxing, allowing urine to pass through. Bladder control means you urinate only when you intend. For good bladder control, all parts of your system must work together. The pelvic muscles must hold up the bladder and the urethra. The sphincter muscles must open and shut the urethra and the nerves must control the muscles of the bladder and the pelvic floor.
The slight need to urinate is sensed when urine volume reaches about one half of the bladder's capacity. When your bladder is full, nerves in your bladder signal the brain that it is full and you get the urge to go to the bathroom. Your brain sends signals through nerves in your spinal cord that tell the large bladder muscle called the detrusor (layered smooth muscle that surround the bladder) when to relax and when to contract. Once stimulated, the detrusor contracts into a funnel shape ready to expel the urine. The brain also helps to co-ordinate the bladder, the sphincters and pelvic floor muscles so that they are working together to relax and to let the urine through. So, conditions that affect brain function and spinal cord function often affect a person's ability to control urination.
Incontinence
An estimated 51million women (17 million of them in the U.S. alone) cope with urinary incontinence. Some are unable to prevent leaking urine when they cough, sneeze or exercise. Others experience a strong urge to urinate but are unable to make it to the bathroom in time.
Urinary incontinence is the medical term used to describe the condition of not being able to control the flow of urine from your body. Incontinence usually occurs because the urethra cannot close tightly enough to hold urine in the bladder.
Kidneys
The urinary tract normally consists of two kidneys, each attached to a ureter (urine tube) that connects the kidney to the bladder, and one urethra which empties the urine out of the bladder to the outside world. The kidneys perform many jobs including removing waste from the blood, keeping a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood, and producing hormones that help build strong bones and form red blood cells. The ureters have only one job, to carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The bladder located in the lower abdomen, has two jobs, to store urine and to empty the stored urine out through the urethra.
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