New Treatment for Overactive Bladder: Don’t Let Incontinence Ruin Your Life!
If you are living with embarrassing bladder leaks, we understand that they can ruin your quality of life. People with incontinence are forced to constantly worry about where the nearest bathroom is whenever they are working, in stores, or at a restaurant or event. But a new treatment for “overactive bladder” can stop the leaks and give you your life back – without surgery and without downtime.
Northwest Ohio Center for Urogynecology & Women’s Health in the greater Toledo, Ohio area is proud to offer our clients one of the newest and most advanced treatments for urge incontinence, called Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation. While this name may sound like a mouthful, it is a safe and straightforward treatment that helps regulate the nerves that control the bladder.
In this article, Toledo board certified urogynecologist and incontinence expert Dr. Andrew Croak explains in lay person’s terms how neuromodulation stops the bladder from leaking at unwanted and inconvenient times.
What is an Overactive Bladder?
There are different types and causes of bladder leaks. One of the most common is called “urge incontinence” or “overactive bladder” (OAB). This embarrassing condition affects an estimated 50 million women and men in the United States.
Overactive bladder is a type of incontinence that causes a frequent and sudden urge to urinate that can’t be controlled. Urge incontinence occurs when the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and bladder don’t coordinate properly to hold and release urine at the right time.
Sometimes OAB can be treated with conservative, non-invasive treatments such as medication or pelvic floor physical therapy. But if these initial efforts don’t help enough with overactive bladder symptoms, a new minimally-invasive procedure called Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation can assist the nerves and the bladder in working together to hold urine and keep it from leaking.
Do You Have an Overactive Bladder?
Here are some of the most common symptoms of the type of urinary incontinence due to an overactive bladder:
- Sudden urges to urinate that are difficult to control
- Sudden bladder leaks that are not caused by sneezing, coughing, laughing or exertion
- Frequent urges to urinate – usually occurring eight or more times in 24 hours
- Waking up more than two times in the night to urinate
If you have one or more of these symptoms, and other therapies have failed, Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation may be the right incontinence treatment for you.
What is Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation for Overactive Bladder ?
Let’s break down the name of the treatment “Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation” into understandable terms.
The “sacral” region refers to the vertebrae at the bottom of the spine and the back wall of the pelvis, and also includes the joints at the hip bone. The nerves and muscles that control the bladder are located in this region.
“Neuro” refers to the nervous system. And “modulation” is a medical term that means to control or regulate. So, “Sacral Neuromodulation” refers to stimulating the nerves that control the bladder.
“Axonics” is the name of a specific new, improved and advanced type of Sacral Neuromodulation that can help patients with overactive bladder or incontinence. It can also be used in treating patients with bowel incontinence.
How Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation Treats Incontinence
Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation utilizes a very small implant that gently stimulates the nerves that control the bladder. It is, in many ways, like a “pacemaker” for the bladder.
Initially, the device can be used without being implanted, so that the patient can “try it out” without needing to have it removed. Then, for patients who decide to obtain long-term relief from urge incontinence with Axonics, the device is implanted just under the skin in the upper part of your buttock.
Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation facilitates normal communication between the brain, the nerves, and the bladder and bowels. This restores the nerve function that tells the bladder when to hold the urine, when it is full, and when is the right time to release it.
Advantages of Axonics Sacral Neuromodulation for Incontinence
The Axonics implant is very small – only about an inch by 1.5 inches and .2 inches thick (bout the size of a quarter). It is implanted during a minimally invasive outpatient procedure – so general anesthetic or surgery is not required. And, the Axonics implant provides therapy that lasts for an astounding 15 years or more.
The Axonics neuromodulator device is controlled by a very small remote control that can be used with one hand, and never needs to be recharged. And the device itself only needs to be recharged once a month – while other neuromodulation devices require at least biweekly charging.
Additionally, most health insurance plans (including Medicare) cover Sacral Neuromodulation for urinary incontinence.
Advanced, Minimally Invasive Incontinence Treatment | Toledo, OH
CLICK HERE to read more information about revolutionary Axonics Neurostimulation for urge urinary incontinence. Or, schedule an appointment at Northwest Ohio Center for Urogynecology Women’s Health in the greater Toledo, Ohio area to see if it is right for you.
We offer the latest, and most advanced treatments for urine leaks, overactive bladder and fecal incontinence, including Axonics Neuromodulation and many others.
Remember, you do not need to live with the embarrassment and frustration of urinary incontinence! Talk to Toledo area board certified urogynecologist Dr. Andrew Croak, to learn which treatments will work for you – so you can take your life back!
