Up to 30% of men and 40% of women in the United States suffer from overactive bladder, a condition that causes a strong urge to urinate, even when your bladder isn’t full. Sunil Rayan, MD, and Mukul Patil, MD, the experienced urology specialists at Tricounty Urology in Waynesburg and Uniontown, Pennsylvania, are dedicated to delivering results. You’ll get a customized treatment plan for overactive bladder, including everything you need to remedy your symptoms expediently. Call the office nearest you or use the online booking tool to request an appointment today.
Overactive Bladder Q & A
What is an overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder is a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate many times throughout the day and night. If you suffer from overactive bladder, you’ll often have the urge to urinate even when you’ve recently done so.
Some overactive bladder sufferers also suffer from stress urinary incontinence, which causes urine leakage when there’s bladder stress like sneezing or laughing hard.
What are the symptoms of overactive bladder?
The main symptom of an overactive bladder is the frequent overwhelming need to urinate. Generally, this means urinating more than eight times in a 24-hour period.
Most overactive bladder sufferers can’t sleep through the night without waking up to urinate at least twice. Many overactive bladder sufferers have urine leakage if they can’t reach the bathroom fast enough.
What causes overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder can happen when there’s a problem with the nerve signals to your bladder. It’s also sometimes caused by overactive bladder muscles. Several conditions can contribute to overactive bladder, including urinary tract infections (UTIs), neurologic disorders, hormone fluctuations, and medication side effects.
What is the treatment for overactive bladder?
Your treatment plan at Tricounty Urology starts with a diagnosis, which includes a full review of your medical history and tests such as a bladder scan, urine test, and possibly cystoscopy or urodynamic testing. Diagnosis uncovers the root cause of your overactive bladder, which allows your physician to provide customized treatment.
There are a variety of solutions, ranging from completely noninvasive methods to surgical treatments. Your options include:
Dietary changes
Dietary changes like consuming fewer of the substances that trigger your bladder can be very helpful. Keeping a bladder diary might help you determine which foods, drinks, and substances to avoid.
Bladder training
For bladder training, you urinate at specific times. The goal is to increase the time between urination. Bladder training and pelvic floor exercises are often combined for faster results.
Medication
Medication can help with overactive bladder by intercepting the nerve signals causing bladder over-contraction.
Botox®
Botox injections can prevent your bladder from contracting too much. Injections generally last around six months.
Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)
PTNS, also called percutaneous tibial nerve modulation, works by sending impulses to your tibial nerve, which in turn controls the nerves that manage your bladder function. It’s often a good option if you haven’t responded to medication and bladder training.
Sacral Nerve Modulation
Sacral nerve modulation, also known as sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), is a solution where your provider uses minimally invasive surgical techniques to implant a small InterStim device that uses electric impulses to stimulate your sacral nerve. Once implanted, the device helps to improve communication between your brain and your bladder, affording you greater control over your bladder functions.
It’s quite rare to need surgery for overactive bladder, but in the most severe cases, you might need a procedure like augmentation cystoplasty to increase bladder capacity or urinary diversion to reroute your urine flow.
For overactive bladder relief, call Tricounty Urology or use online the booking tool to request an appointment today.