About Overactive Bladder
You’re not alone if you’re frustrated by bladder control problems. Millions of people experience bladder issues at some time. That’s why we used our expertise in sacral nerve stimulation to develop an innovative overactive bladder treatment for patients who have failed or could not tolerate more conservative treatments.
Definition
Bladder control problems prevent you from controlling when and how much you urinate. You may experience unexpected small or large leaks, use the bathroom very frequently, or you may have the feeling of not being able to completely empty your bladder. Some people experience a combination of these symptoms.
Causes
Normally, as your bladder stores urine, your pelvic floor muscles contract to support your bladder and hold urine in without leaking. Bladder control problems occur when your pelvic muscles weaken.
Symptoms
There are different types of bladder control problems:
- Frequent urges to urinate (urgency-frequency)
- Inability to hold urine/leaking (urge incontinence)
- Inability to urinate (complete urinary retention)
- Incomplete bladder emptying (partial urinary retention)
- Leaking due to abdominal contractions (stress incontinence) (InterStim Therapy does not treat stress incontinence)
Risk Factors
Menopause or an enlarged prostate may increase your risk for bladder control problems. Bladder control problems are not a natural part of aging. Pregnancy and childbirth, obesity, weak pelvic muscles, diabetes, prostate cancer, bladder cancer or stones, and neurological disorders can also be contributing factors. In addition, certain medications, high calcium levels, constipation, or inactivity can put you at risk.
Diagnosis
Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and how they are affecting your day-to-day life. Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms.
Treatment Options for Overactive Bladder
| There are several treatment options for overactive bladder, including Medtronic’s innovative InterStim® neurostimulator. It’s been used to treat more than 50,000 people worldwide since 1994. If your life has been disrupted by bladder problems and other treatments have not worked for you or have caused intolerable side effects, talk to your doctor about how you can get back to normal. |
 | Behavioral Techniques
Some people can reduce the symptoms of bladder control problems with healthy lifestyle habits, diet modification, biofeedback, bladder retraining, and pelvic muscle exercises.
Medications
Medications may be prescribed by your doctor to help control the symptoms of your bladder control problem. The various types of medications used for bladder control problems focus on the muscles associated with bladder function.
Sacral Nerve Stimulation
Doctors may recommend sacral nerve stimulation for those people who have failed or could not tolerate more conservative treatments. This reversible treatment uses a small implanted neurostimulator to send mild electrical pulses to the sacral nerve to reduce symptoms.
Permanent Surgical Procedures
In some cases, people choose bladder augmentation (changing bladder size), bladder denervation (cutting or excising part of a nerve), or bladder removal to treat their bladder control problems.
About Sacral Nerve Stimulation
If you’ve tried other treatments without relief, you may want to consider a trial assessment for sacral nerve stimulation. It has been used to treat more than 50,000 people worldwide since 1994.
What Is It?
The InterStim® neurostimulator is a surgically implanted device that stimulates your sacral nerve with mild electrical pulses. The sacral nerve controls your bladder and the muscles related to urinary function.
To help discover if sacral nerve stimulation will work for you, Medtronic has created a trial assessment. You and your doctor can try sacral nerve stimulation without making a big commitment.
The trial assessment involves placement of a thin wire worn in your back. The wire is connected to a small stimulator, which you'll wear on a belt. The stimulator will send mild electrical pulses through the thin wire to one of your sacral nerves, and those pulses may get your bladder working the way it's supposed to. During the trial assessment, which typically lasts 3 to 7 days, you can continue many of your daily activities with caution.
Benefits and Risks – Sacral Nerve Stimulation
| If you’ve tried other treatments without success or you’ve experienced intolerable side effects from medications, sacral nerve stimulation may provide you with relief from difficulties related to symptoms of overactive bladder. |
 | Benefits
Sacral nerve stimulation is reversible and can be discontinued at any time. Many people with sacral nerve stimulation have reported:
- Improved quality of life
- Freedom to live without worry of leaks
You and your doctor can try sacral nerve stimulation without making a big commitment.
The trial assessment involves placement of a thin wire worn in your back. The wire is connected to a small stimulator, which you'll wear on a belt. The stimulator will send mild electrical pulses through the thin wire to one of your sacral nerves, and those pulses may get your bladder working the way it's supposed to. During the trial assessment, which typically lasts 3 to 7 days, you can continue many of your daily activities with caution.
Risks
As with any medical treatment, sacral nerve stimulation may cause you to experience some of these side effects:
- Pain at the implant site
- Lead movement
- Infection or skin irritation
- Technical problems
- Jolting or shocking stimulation
- Adverse changes in bowel function
- Numbness at the neurostimulator site
- Undesirable stimulation or sensations
Questions and Answers – Sacral Nerve Stimulation
What is sacral nerve stimulation?
Sacral nerve stimulation is another treatment for managing non-obstructive urinary retention and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary urge incontinence and urgency-frequency – alone or in combination – in people who have not found success with more conservative treatments.
With sacral nerve stimulation, a small implantable device is surgically placed to stimulate your sacral nerve with mild electrical impulses. The sacral nerve controls your bladder and the muscles related to urinary function.
What do nerves have to do with urination?
Nerves carry information to and from the brain about urinary voiding and storage. When the communication system between the sacral nerves and the brain is not working, a person can have bladder control problems.
What are the side effects/complications?
Side effects may include pain, skin irritation, infection, device problems, and lead movement. These conditions were generally resolved in a clinical study.
What are the benefits of sacral nerve stimulation?
Sacral nerve stimulation may reduce urinary symptoms for many people who suffer non-obstructive urinary retention and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary urge incontinence and significant symptoms of urgency-frequency. It is reversible and can be discontinued at any time.
How does sacral nerve stimulation work?
Sacral nerve stimulation uses a small, implanted device to send mild electrical pulses to a nerve located in the lower back. This grouping of nerves, called the sacral nerves, influences the bladder and surrounding muscles that manage urinary function. The electrical stimulation may eliminate or reduce certain bladder control symptoms in some people.
How proven is the system?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), part of the federal government, requires clinical studies for many medical devices. Medtronic has completed these studies for the InterStim® neurostimulator, showing that it is safe and effective. The InterStim neurostimulator has FDA approval. It was approved in Europe in 1994 and in the U.S. in 1997. It has been used to treat more than 50,000 people worldwide.
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