“The short answer is no, it’s not possible to rupture your bladder. What you’ll end up doing is the longer and longer you hold your urine, the more and more urine will build up and the more pressure and discomfort you’ll have in your pelvis. At some point in time, it’s just a balance between how much it’s hurting and your need to stop on the side of the road and find a tree.
“In some older men, if you’ve had prostate issues and if you’ve had urinary retention in the past—where you’re unable to empty your bladder because of an obstruction—holding your urine on a car ride can push you to go into another episode of urinary retention.
“But in an individual who’s just doing a one-off trip up to the cottage, it isn’t going to cause any long-term issues like an atonic neurogenic bladder—where the muscles don’t fully contract anymore, and the urine leaks out.”
—Tyler Scott Christie, an emergency room physician at Health Sciences North in Sudbury, Ont.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2020 issue of Cottage Life.
Related Story How to prevent car sickness during the cottage commute
Related Story This is the proper way to unclog your toilet
Related Story This cottager’s fishing-themed privy is aqua-tacular