If a person sits in a vehicle for a long time and "overfills" the bladder, he or she may not be able to void. The bladder is overstretched and like every other overstretched muscle it may need time to recover. A catheter for a short time may do this well.

It the patient has a long-term problem of difficulty with urine frequency and difficulty generating a stream, a different approach may be needed.

If the bladder does not get enough oxygen urine may not flow easily. A person who has severe emphysema or other breathing problems may not be able to pass urine when they have a breathing crisis. Once this crisis passes, attention can be turned to the urine problem.

Sometimes people with respiratory problems cannot even think clearly enough to pass urine. Passing urine requires coordination between the bladder and the bladder opening. These are two different sets of muscles. They must work in sequence or no urine will flow.

Difficult breathing, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological problems may affect how we pass urine. If the problem is sudden, then it’s important to get over whatever happened before trying to pass urine again.