OVERACTIVE BLADDER

The first question that anyone would ask is “what is an overactive bladder?” This is a question that begs an answer. Overactive bladder or OAB is a condition in which a person has sudden strong urges to urinate. In some cases, the person can experience an urge so strong that they cannot hold back the flow. The resultant involuntary passing of urine is known as incontinence.

Generally speaking, anyone who hears about this condition would naturally want to know what causes it. Unfortunately, there is no one definite cause. There are several suggestions as to what causes this condition. However, there is a common leaning towards what is regarded as the over activity of the muscles which control the contraction and relaxation of the bladder. This muscle is called the Detrusor urinae muscle.

Left to an active imagination, one can immediately picture what would be the result of the sudden and uncontrollable contraction of this muscle.

There is no single cause of an overactive bladder. It could simply be the rate of fluid intake or it could be the complication of a more serious medical issue. In some cases, the primary cause may be a weakening of the muscles that contract within the bladder when it is filled with urine. The most common primary cause is aging.

Although incontinence is generally mild and easily treatable, as with a urinary tract infection, it is important to have a physical exam to rule out other possible conditions. For example, incontinence is one of the first signs of the neurological disorders of Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s Disease. Determining the cause is important for protecting your long term health and deciding which overactive bladder treatment is best for you. A doctor may prescribe a treatment that will lessen the occurrence of bladder leakage over time.

This condition can cause a person some embarrassment and even make some persons avoid socializing. This need not be so. A person who thinks they might be suffering from this condition should just get properly evaluated by a qualified physician. They can get proper help so they can get their life back on track.

The treatment of conditions such as this requires the attention of a specialist. One place that such specialists can be found is at Advanced Urology Institute.

Treatment of Overactive Bladder

In treating OAB, there is a general tendency to target the Detrusor urinae muscle. Most treatments whether medical or physical tend to focus on this muscle.

There are exercises that patients are given to help train this muscle. One is known as the Kegel exercise. Anyone who knows about sexual therapy would recognize this exercise. It is simply an exercise that improves the strength of the muscle in question.

Another physical therapy is a graduated scheduled voiding. A patient is made to urinate only at given intervals. Any urge between the scheduled times should be held back. The intervals between the times allowed for voiding is then increased from minutes possibly to hours as the muscles are thought to be getting stronger.

Drugs are also employed in the treatment of OAB. One group of drugs used are known as anticholinergics. What they do is target the nerves that send signals for the muscles to contract and then block the signal. Since urine is released when the muscle contracts, voiding is avoided.