What Is a Urinary Catheter (Foley Catheter)?

Nobody plans to need a catheter, so the first time one is mentioned — before an operation, in an emergency department, or when you simply can’t pass urine no matter how hard you try — it can sound more alarming than it usually turns out to be. A urinary catheter is just a thin, flexible tube that drains urine from the bladder into a bag, doing the job your body normally does on its own for a while. The most common staying-in kind is called a Foley catheter, after the doctor who designed it. This guide walks through what to expect, in the order you’d actually meet it.

The video at the top of this page, "Foley Catheter Insertion in Men and Women: Step-by-Step Guide", is a short educational demonstration — just under two minutes long — showing how a Foley catheter is placed into the bladder for male and female patients. It’s made for students and clinicians, so it’s more clinical than a patient leaflet, but it shows you exactly what the kit looks like and why everyone involved is so careful about keeping everything sterile.

First, why one might be suggested to you

Catheters are suggested for practical reasons, not as a treatment in themselves. The bladder may need draining because urine isn’t coming out — urinary retention, which can happen after anaesthesia, with an enlarged prostate (see our guide to an enlarged prostate, BPH), or when swelling or a blockage gets in the way. A catheter is also used during and after many operations, so the bladder stays empty and the team can measure urine output precisely — an important sign of how the kidneys are doing. Sometimes it’s about measurement or protection instead: monitoring output closely in serious illness, or keeping urine away from a wound or fragile skin while it heals.

How long it stays depends entirely on that reason. For some people it’s hours; for others, days or occasionally longer while the underlying problem settles. Procedures that relieve a blockage, such as the prostate operation described in our article on TURP surgery, often change the picture — the catheter is a bridge, not a destination.

What placement actually feels like

Placement is a nursing or medical procedure done with sterile gloves, sterile drapes, and a sealed kit — the careful set-up in the video is there because keeping germs out of the bladder is the whole point. You’ll be lying on your back, covered so only the necessary area is exposed, and the area is cleaned first. A lubricating gel — often containing a local anaesthetic — is used to help the tube slide through the urethra (the natural channel urine leaves by) and to numb things as much as possible.

Most people describe the sensation as pressure and an odd, brief discomfort rather than sharp pain, and it usually eases once the tube is in place. When the tip reaches the bladder, urine starts draining through the tube. Then comes the Foley part: a tiny balloon near the tip is gently filled with sterile water, and that balloon sits inside the bladder and stops the tube slipping out. The tube is taped or strapped comfortably to your leg, and connected to a drainage bag. A longer nursing demonstration on this site, "Male Urinary Catheterization: A Nursing Procedure Demonstration", shows the same preparation-to-placement sequence for a male patient.

Living with one, day to day

The strange part isn’t pain — it’s awareness. You may feel as though you need to pass urine even though the bladder is draining continuously; that urge usually fades as you get used to the balloon’s presence. The bag needs to stay below bladder level so urine flows downhill, and the tube shouldn’t be pulled, kinked, or left trailing. In hospital, staff empty and record the bag; at home with a catheter, people are usually taught to manage a smaller leg bag during the day and a larger bag at night, and to wash hands before and after handling any of it.

Two habits matter more than any gadget. Drink normally unless your team has told you otherwise — steady fluid intake keeps urine flowing. And keep the area where the tube enters clean with ordinary daily washing, exactly as your nurses show you. What you’re guarding against is infection: bacteria travelling up the tube is the main risk of any catheter, which is one reason catheters are removed as soon as they’re no longer needed. Our article on urinary tract infections explains the symptoms that pattern produces.

Call your team promptly if urine stops draining, if the tube falls out or is pulled, if urine leaks persistently around the tube, or if you develop fever, shivering, pain low in the tummy or back, or urine that becomes cloudy, strong-smelling, or blood-stained and stays that way. Those are the standard warnings catheter patients are given — they’re a safety net, not a prediction.

Taking it out — the part everyone asks about

Removal is mercifully simple, and it’s the reverse of the one clever step: the nurse lets the water out of the small balloon through a side port, then slides the tube out gently. It takes moments. Most people feel a brief sliding or stinging sensation and then — nothing. Afterwards the team will want to know that you’re passing urine comfortably on your own again, and they’ll often check how much and how it feels the first few times. A mild sting the first time or two is common; tell the team if you can’t pass urine, if it keeps hurting, or if you develop the fever or pain described above.

That’s the whole story, really: a simple tube, placed carefully, watched sensibly, and removed as soon as its job is done.

References & further reading

• MedlinePlus — Urinary catheters: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003981.htm
• NHS — Urinary catheters: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/urinary-catheters/
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) — Urologic diseases: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases

Frequently Asked Questions

Does having a Foley catheter placed hurt?

Most people find it uncomfortable rather than painful. Lubricating gel, often with a local anaesthetic in it, is used first, and the odd pressure sensation usually settles once the tube is in and draining. Tell the person placing it if you’re struggling — they can pause, add gel, and take it more slowly.

Can I walk around and shower with a catheter in?

Usually, yes. Walking is encouraged for most patients; the tube is secured to your leg and the bag can be carried or worn as a leg bag. Showering is generally fine too — your team will show you how to keep the bag below bladder level and how to wash around the entry point as part of normal daily hygiene.

Why does it feel like I need to urinate when the bag is draining?

That urge is common. The small balloon that holds the catheter in place rests inside the bladder, and your bladder can interpret that presence as fullness at first. The feeling usually fades, and bladder spasms that cause it can be mentioned to your team if they bother you.

How long will I need a catheter for?

It depends on why it was placed — hours after some operations, days while swelling or retention settles, and sometimes longer while an underlying problem is treated. Because infection risk rises the longer a catheter stays in, teams review the need for it regularly and remove it as soon as it’s no longer doing a necessary job.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician-scientist.

Educational only — this article is general information about urinary catheters, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Whether a catheter, or any treatment, is right for you is a matter for your own care team, who know your results and your history.