Urogynecologic Condition
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control — a leak when you cough, sneeze, exercise, or feel a sudden urge. It affects an estimated one in three women at some point in life, and many men as well, particularly after prostate surgery. Most people wait years before bringing it up.
It is also one of the most treatable conditions in pelvic medicine. The vast majority of patients improve significantly — often without surgery — once they are evaluated by someone whose subspecialty is the pelvic floor.
Most patients tell us they assumed the symptom was minor — or just something they would have to live with. Neither is usually true.
Leaking with activity — coughing, sneezing, lifting, jumping, exercise. The pelvic floor and the urethral support are not closing properly when pressure rises. Typically responds extremely well to physical therapy and targeted procedures.
A sudden, overwhelming urge followed by leakage — often with little warning. Driven by the bladder muscle itself rather than the pelvic floor. Behavioral retraining, medications, and advanced therapies are highly effective.
Features of both stress and urge incontinence. The most common pattern in clinical practice. Treatment addresses both drivers in parallel — and the plan is sequenced carefully, because the wrong order makes both worse.
Less common forms involving incomplete emptying or mobility-related issues. Diagnosis usually requires bladder function studies. We can perform these in-office and avoid sending you to a separate facility.
Treatment Approach
Most patients with urinary incontinence improve significantly with behavioral, physical, and minimally invasive treatments — long before surgery enters the conversation. Here is the full toolbox, in the order we typically work through it.
Surgery is one tool in a much larger toolbox. When we do recommend a procedure, it is because we have a specific reason — and we will explain exactly what it does, what it doesn't do, and what recovery actually looks like.
What to Expect
A comprehensive first evaluation with Dr. Johnson. Time to be listened to. In-office diagnostics when possible.
Dr. Johnson has read your intake before you walk in. The conversation starts with the impact on your life — not the textbook.
Performed with explanation at every step. Nothing happens without your full awareness and consent.
Bladder function studies and post-void residual measurements are performed in-office where possible to avoid sending you to a separate facility.
Every option explained. Pros, cons, and what each one would mean for your week, your work, and your life.
A Patient Story
I had three children and assumed leaking was just part of it. Dr. Johnson explained the difference between stress and urge in five minutes, and built a plan that started with PT. I didn't need surgery. I needed someone who actually knew what they were looking at.
— K.S., treated for mixed urinary incontinence
Frequently Asked
Treatable. Real, durable improvement is the rule, not the exception. The myth that incontinence is something you simply have to live with — or 'a normal part of aging' — is the single most consequential piece of misinformation in this field. Most patients I see in Oak Lawn, Oak Brook, and Orland Park get back to the activities they had given up.
— Lisa L. Johnson, M.D., U.R.P.S.
Probably not as a first step. Pelvic floor PT, behavioral changes, and pessary fittings resolve a significant percentage of cases on their own. When surgery does become the right answer — usually for refractory stress incontinence — the mid-urethral sling is one of the most well-studied procedures in modern medicine, with excellent long-term outcomes.
— Lisa L. Johnson, M.D., U.R.P.S.
Most patients notice meaningful improvement within six to twelve sessions, typically over two to three months. It is real work — but it is the highest-yield intervention I have in my toolbox for the right patient.
— Lisa L. Johnson, M.D., U.R.P.S.
Yes — for nearly all medical plans, including Medicare. Pelvic floor disorders are medical conditions, not cosmetic concerns. Our team verifies your specific coverage before your first visit so there are no surprises. Plan list on our insurance page.
— Lisa L. Johnson, M.D., U.R.P.S.
Absolutely. Activity-specific leakage is one of the cleanest indicators of stress incontinence, and one of the most responsive to targeted PT and minimally invasive treatments. The patients I see early — before they have given up running, lifting, or jumping — almost always get those activities back.
— Lisa L. Johnson, M.D., U.R.P.S.
A thorough, unhurried evaluation with Dr. Johnson. You will leave with a written plan — and clarity on what urinary incontinence is doing in your body, and what to do about it.
