Neurogenic Bladder

Overview

Neurogenic bladder is a nervous system condition that keeps you from having normal bladder control. It happens when the nerves that control your bladder get damaged, often due to illness or injury.

There are two types of neurogenic bladder.

Overactive bladder causes you to have little or no control over your urination. It can also cause you to feel a sudden or frequent need to urinate. (It’s also called spastic or hyper-reflexive bladder).
Underactive bladder occurs when your bladder muscles lose their ability to hold your urine. You’re no longer able to sense when your bladder is full or to empty it completely, so it over-fills and urine leaks out. (This is also called flaccid or hypotonic bladder).

Symptoms

Symptoms of neurogenic bladder include:

Feeling a sudden, urgent need to urinate
Frequent urination
Having a weak urine stream or dribbling urine
Inability or difficulty urinating
Inability to control your urination
Painful urination

Risk Factors

Potential causes of neurogenic bladder include:

Diseases that affect your nervous system, including tumors of your central nervous system
Erectile dysfunction (ED)
Diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, polio and syphilis
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson’s disease (PD)
Spinal birth defects
Spinal cord injuries or spinal surgeries
Stroke
Traumas and accidents
Poisoning by heavy metals like mercury

Services & Treatment

Your Aurora urologist will talk with you about your symptoms, do a physical exam and work with you on a treatment plan to meet your needs.

Treatment for neurogenic bladder may include:

Biofeedback
Botox^™
Electrical-stimulatory therapy
Intermittent self-catheterization
InterStim therapy
Medications
Physical-psychological therapy
Surgery

Your doctor might also recommend lifestyle changes, like drinking fewer fluids, changing your diet and exercising.

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