Overactive Bladder Treatment Options

Overactive Bladder Overview

Individuals with overactive bladder (OAB) frequently experience a sudden urge to urinate, sometimes resulting in leaking or bladder incontinence. This condition can be embarrassing and limiting to people who have it, but the good news is that it is a medical condition with treatment options available.

What are the symptoms of overactive bladder?

Typically, overactive bladder is characterized by a few key signs and symptoms:

A frequent need to urinate

When the urge hits, it is urgent and you may experience leaking or incontinence

Having to wake up several times at night to use the bathroom

Sometimes, you may experience an inability to completely empty your bladder or the inability to urinate at all once you reach the bathroom

What causes overactive bladder?

Overactive bladder is a mechanical malfunction of your muscles and nerves that can be caused by a wide array of conditions, including:

Stress or anxiety

Nerve damage caused by pregnancy, surgery or other abdominal or pelvic trauma

Cancer

Diabetes

Enlarged prostate

Bladder stones

Neurological disorders

Medication side effects

How is overactive bladder diagnosed?

Sometimes overactive bladder is caused by a short-term, treatable condition, which is why your urologist will rule out common conditions that can cause urgency and frequency to urinate, like a urinary tract infection.

Because overactive bladder can be caused by so many different conditions, several exams and diagnostics may be needed to narrow down a treatment plan. Typically, diagnosis will begin with:

Reviewing the patient’s medical history

Performing a physical examination and taking a urine sample

Performing a neurological exam

From there, your urologist may proceed to urodynamic testing to assess your bladder function. These tests are specially designed to measure whether you can fully empty your bladder and how much pressure is in your bladder.

How is overactive bladder treated?

Luckily, there are many therapies to help treat overactive bladder, although if it is caused by an underlying chronic disease, treating that condition may also be important to improve your symptoms. Treatment options at Hattiesburg Clinic include:

At-Home Treatment

Exercise or Behavioral Adjustments – Your urologist may recommend daily pelvic floor exercises, scheduling your bathroom trips and other forms of bladder training.
Biofeedback – This method uses connected electrical sensors to provide you information about how your body is functioning. This gives you the opportunity to target your bladder training based on a better understanding of how your body is functioning.
Medication – There are drugs that can help relax the bladder muscles or strengthen the muscles and tissues in the area.

In-Office Procedures

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy – While at-home exercises work for some, you may need additional support from a qualified professional to be successful. Your urologist may refer you to work with a certified pelvic floor physical therapist.
Botox – Depending on the specific symptoms you are experiencing, Botox injections may help with incontinence.
Interstim Therapy – Implanted in an in-office procedure, Interstim Therapy is an FDA-approved treatment that stimulates the nerves that control the bladder so they connect appropriately with the brain, giving you more control over your bladder. This treatment is reversible and can be discontinued at any time.

Surgery

For those with severe overactive bladder, where other treatment pathways have not improved their symptoms, surgery may be the best next step.

What are my next steps?

At Hattiesburg Clinic, a doctor’s referral is not needed to make a urology appointment. If you are experiencing an excessive urge to urinate or accidents and incontinence, we can help. Our board-certified urology specialists offer the most advanced technologies to diagnose and treat issues with the bladder and urinary tract.

Overactive Bladder (Surgery / Interstim)