Bladder Control
Reviewed by Michael Smith on December 07, 2020
Video Transcript
Elizabeth Timbook Brown, MD:
Bladder issues in MS is actually
very common.
Up to 90% of patients
can have bladder control issues
at some point.
We find symptoms
of overactive bladder
such as urgency, frequency,
and sometimes
associated incontinence.
But other patients can have
difficulty emptying
their bladder and sometimes not
be able to urinate at all.
Unfortunately, patients often
minimize or don't bring up
such sensitive topics.
And it's really important
to bring these issues forward,
because there's absolutely help
for patients with MS
that have bladder control
issues.
I typically recommend behavioral modifications as a start. If you're having nighttime problems, you could limit fluid after dinnertime. Certain foods and beverages can affect the bladder and make your symptoms of urgency and frequency worse. I recommend avoiding alcohol, caffeine, diet drinks or artificial sugars, spicy foods, and chocolate. Often patients carry extra pads with them. And many of my patients know where all the bathrooms are when they walk into a certain store because they know they might have to rush to get there in time.
If behavioral modifications don't work, then we will move on to medication. And if that doesn't work, there's other outpatient-based procedures that can provide a lot of relief. Often I recommend pelvic floor physical therapy. Learning to contract certain muscles or relax other muscles can help with their urinary symptoms.
Exercise is really important because weight loss is a huge step in preventing incontinence or improving the incontinence. If patients can lose 5% to 10% of their body weight, it can actually improve their incontinence by 50%. I tell patients, there's certainly hope and that we can treat a lot of their problems to really improve their quality of life.
I typically recommend behavioral modifications as a start. If you're having nighttime problems, you could limit fluid after dinnertime. Certain foods and beverages can affect the bladder and make your symptoms of urgency and frequency worse. I recommend avoiding alcohol, caffeine, diet drinks or artificial sugars, spicy foods, and chocolate. Often patients carry extra pads with them. And many of my patients know where all the bathrooms are when they walk into a certain store because they know they might have to rush to get there in time.
If behavioral modifications don't work, then we will move on to medication. And if that doesn't work, there's other outpatient-based procedures that can provide a lot of relief. Often I recommend pelvic floor physical therapy. Learning to contract certain muscles or relax other muscles can help with their urinary symptoms.
Exercise is really important because weight loss is a huge step in preventing incontinence or improving the incontinence. If patients can lose 5% to 10% of their body weight, it can actually improve their incontinence by 50%. I tell patients, there's certainly hope and that we can treat a lot of their problems to really improve their quality of life.