Over Active Bladder

What is an over active bladder?

Also known as urgency-frequency syndrome, over active bladder (OAB) is an abnormal sensation to void much more frequently than the average person. One in six people in the US may suffer from overactive bladder. Unlike USI, OAB is not related to childbirth or even incontinence. It can occur in young or old alike. Though all of us have had moments where we “feel like my bladder is going to burst unless we find a bathroom,” OAB patients feel this way several times a day and even through the night. It is a consumptive detriment to their life and a dominating nuisance. OAB patients can hardly sit through a movie, or go on a road trip, without undue interruption from urinary urgency/frequency. Getting up to void in the night with resultant sleep loss is very common in OAB patients.

What Causes Over Active Bladder?

In most cases, the bladder muscles contract involuntarily, causing a strong and frequent urge to urinate. OAB results from problems with the bladder muscles and the nerves that produce sensory feedback in the bladder.

Though there are some specific medical conditions that may cause OAB, such as Diabetes, Multple Sclerosis and Spinal Cord Injury, more commonly there is no apparent cause for OAB.

How Is OAB Treated?

  • Anticholinergic and antispasmodic drugs to block nerve signals to the bladder muscles
  • Bladder retraining, pelvic floor exercises, biofeedback and other behavioral modifications
  • Neuromodulation

Neuromodulation is the latest breakthrough in the therapy of OAB. It is reserved for refractory cases that are unresponsive to more conservative measures. Treatment involves electrical stimulation of the nerves that control bladder function through an implant device similar to a pacemaker. For patients with no other hope, this can be life changing. Dr. Crawford has received special training and certification for this relatively new neuromodulation therapy and  is one of the few specialists performing this procedure in the Phoenix area.

Mixed Incontinence

Some women suffer from a combination of bladder dysfunctions involving some of the symptoms in different categories. Sorting out each patient’s individual problems and therapy is exactly what Dr. Crawford does.

 

“One call does it all”  ……….. for Phoenix call 602-457-7066;  for Awahtukee call 480-582-4717