A symptom of an overactive bladder can be the sudden urge to urinate . The urge may be difficult to suppress, which can lead to the involuntary loss of urine, also known as incontinence. For those who aren’t affected by this condition, an overactive bladder may seem like a minor inconvenience, but for the 25 million Americans that are living with the effects, an overactive bladder can greatly reduce one’s quality of life.
People who are living with an overactive bladder may feel embarrassed, isolate themselves, or limit their work and social lives. They would rather be alone than be caught in a compromising and potentially embarrassing situation due to their bladder problem. This isolation can lead to other, more serious conditions, such as depression.
Overactive bladders are often a side effect of another condition and not a condition within themselves. There are many factors that can lead to an overactive bladder. Some of them the patient has control over while others, they may not. Medical conditions like diabetes, urinary tract infections, bladder and kidney stones, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders can all produce an overactive bladder. Sometimes it happens that once these underlying conditions have been addressed and treated, the overactive bladder problem fades away on its own. There are some behaviors that cause an overactive bladder that the patient must learn to control themselves, such as excessive fluid intake and consumption of too much caffeine or alcohol. Overactive bladders are common in older people, only because they are more susceptible to the underlying conditions that cause them. Overactive bladders are not part of the natural aging process.
There are a number of different methods that a physician will test a bladder for over-activity He may use dyes and imaging devices or various types of bladder stress tests to see how the bladder performs. Once the cause and severity of the overactive bladder has been determined, the doctor will then prescribe a treatment plan that is usually a combination of different methods. Medications combined with bladder re-training exercises are the most common form of treatment for overactive bladders. These re-training exercises may consist of pelvic floor exercises or simply creating a new routine for going to the bathroom in order to put the bladder on a schedule.
Every patient and every bladder is different. This is why a treatment that works for some may not work at all for someone else. If you are experiencing problems due to an overactive bladder, you don’t have to suffer in awkward silence any longer. Schedule a consultation with our staff to find out which treatment options are available to you so that you can take back control of your life – and your bladder.
