Sometimes people become aware of a problem that seems like it is gradually getting worse with age. We all start to notice aches, pains, and limitations, and the same can be true for bladder health. Bladder symptoms are often related to some degree of loss of function of the pelvic floor, the muscles and nerves that help us with control and emptying of the bladder and rectum. It is especially true for women who had children years or decades earlier and now find that either bladder leakage is a problem or overactive bladder is interfering with nighttime sleep and daytime activities. But it’s important to recognize that incontinence isn’t a normal part of aging, and that bladder health can be restored.
What Can be Done to Restore Bladder Health?
The process is painless and usually begins with a visit to your doctor. It’s important to be clear about what symptoms you might be experiencing, such as needing to wake up at night to empty the bladder, frequent urination during the day, or leakage loss of urine or stool at any time. Step two is a basic urinalysis, a helpful screening tool to look for other conditions such as infection. For many people, the problem originates with the pelvic floor, so that is where a good treatment plan can focus.
We start with exercise therapy. Classic Kegels are useful at improving the nerve signaling and the muscle contractility for the sphincter mechanisms of both the bowels and the bladder. Just like exercising any muscles, regular Kegels can improve the overall condition of the pelvic floor. More sophisticated exercises, which can be done at home, involve squatting and using more of the whole body’s muscle system to engage the pelvic floor nerves and muscles. A process known as biofeedback has long been shown to improve the effectiveness of home exercise treatments. During biofeedback, training is done with a therapist using some monitors that assess the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle activity with different forms of effort.
If symptoms persist and a person is still experiencing leakage and overactive bladder symptoms, then we turn to modern technology. Researchers have uncovered the keys to restoring bladder and bowel health with a pacemaking mechanism that restores the natural nerve signaling and muscle activity with the aid of the computer-generated signal. Known as sacral neuromodulation, the technology acts a lot like a cardiac pacemaker, with a small, implanted chip device transmitting computer-generated signals to the key nerve plexus and muscles to create the appropriate contractions. Pacemaking technology has been a godsend for heart rhythm disturbances, and in the case of the pelvic floor, it has been a godsend to restore normal bowel and bladder control and stop the overactive bladder contractions pattern. The outpatient procedure is painless and normally is done in about 25 minutes in skilled hands and is covered by Medicare and health insurance plans.
The Takeaway
If bladder health has waned, do not lose hope. A stratagem of guided exercise therapy and the possible use of modern noninvasive technology can restore bladder health and pelvic floor health. In Reno and Sparks, contact the Nevada Surgical team to learn more.
