McLaughlin also encourages people to use "mental distractive techniques, mental self-talking regarding their ability to retain control, counting backward from 100," or whatever works best for the individual.

"They need to wait a few minutes, about five minutes after the urge to urinate has passed, and then go to the bathroom," she said.

People with urgency problems should never urinate at the height of the urge, McLaughlin said. Delaying urination is behavioral modification that retrains the bladder, but it takes time and mental energy.

Callers who said they have done Kegel exercises that haven't helped them are often "not doing the contraction correctly," she said.

"You need to train the muscle specific to its use and work for muscle for endurance, which means holding it for a certain amount of time," McLaughlin said. "That's why it's really important to assess strength and then training for the quick-acting part of muscle, which is helpful when you cough or sneeze."

People with questions about physical therapy for their condition may call the clinic at 801-507-2050.

E-mail: carrie@desnews.com