Irritating bladder

What is an irritating bladder? 

Under normal circumstances, the bladder is gradually filled until it is time to empty it. When the bladder is emptied, the sphincter - the muscle responsible for closing the bladder - opens and the bladder retracts to empty. Subsequently, the bladder relaxes again and prepares for further filling. 

The number of urinations per day is normally around 4 to 8 times per day and sometimes 1 to 2 times per night. 

In some cases the bladder does not work as it should. This is mainly due to symptoms of frequent urination, frequent urge for urination and occasional incontinence or uncontrolled leakage of urine. Such a bladder is called irritant or unstable. 

 

Treatment

In general, there are three possible treatments: 

• Bladder training - includes exercises aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, requiring determination and self-discipline; it will take several months for the desired improvement to be achieved. 

• Drug treatment - there are several drugs available to control an unstable bladder, which are designed to relax the bladder muscles and thus reduce the frequency of urination as well as the urge to urinate. 

• Electrical stimulation - this is a device that sends an electrical signal to the bladder and muscles of the small pelvis. It is recommended to use the device for 20 minutes to an hour a day, for 20 days. Many patients report significant improvement after this therapy.