Bladder dysfunction, sometimes referred to as voiding dysfunction, means your bladder has a problem with filling or emptying. As such, you’ll either have an intermittent flow of urine or incomplete emptying of your bladder. Succinctly, the dysfunction is a failure to store or empty.
When your bladder doesn’t function properly in this way, the key symptoms are incontinence with a frequent and urgent need to urinate. Other symptoms can include:
- dysuria
- nocturia
- back pain
- flank pain
- hematuria
- recurrent UTIs
- dribble leakage
- urination difficulty
- lacking force in urine stream
- urine retention after emptying
- intermittent flow when voiding
- hesitancy when start of urination
Retaining urine can cause complications of repeated infections or kidney damage.
Voiding dysfunction is sometimes further classified as:
- urinary retention
- overactive bladder
- neurogenic bladder
- urinary incontinence
- urethral obstructions
A very high percentage of those suffering with multiple sclerosis have bladder dysfunction because it causes lesions on the spinal cord that interfere with nerve signal transmission that control healthy function of the bladder. Frequent, urgent urination of bladder dysfunction has a myriad of other causes as well, for instance:
- ascites
- obesity
- cystitis
- diabetes
- pregnancy
- anesthesia
- kidney stones
- bladder cancer
- uterine prolapse
- bladder infection
- vaginal childbirth
- interstitial cystitis
- benign prostatic hyperplasia
- bladder, pelvic muscle weakness
- neurological problem ~ brain injury, spinal cord injury
Management of your bladder voiding dysfunction may involve various treatments, like:
- drugs
- biofeedback
- psychotherapy
- kegel exercises
- bladder training
- botox injections
- electrical stimulation, neuromodulation
- surgery ~ artificial urinary sphincter, sling
Frequent, urgent urination and incontinence has a significant impact on a healthy lifestyle and management can be a challenge.