Painful Bladder Syndrome
What Is Painful Bladder Syndrome?
What Are The Causes Of Painful Bladder Syndrome?
Men With Interstitial Cystitis
Men can get interstitial cystitis (IC) or painful bladder syndrome. Common symptoms of IC and BPS are urinary urgency, urinary frequency, nocturia (getting up at night to go to the bathroom), suprapubic or pelvic pain, the pain classically worsens with bladder filling and is relieved with urination, dysuria (burning with urination), and the sensation of incomplete evacuation of urine. If IC/BPS are present for many months or even years symptoms of pelvic pain and pelvic floor muscle spasm are seen. These include rectal spasms or rectal pain, pain with erection or ejaculation, soreness post erection or ejaculation, pain at the tip of the penis, groin or testes, prostate, bladder, epididymis, and testes tenderness. Treating the associated pelvic pain and pelvic floor spasm can help with symptoms of IC and BPS.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Interstitial Cystitis?
Symptoms of painful bladder syndrome may vary in type and severity depending on the person and the situation, with some people experiencing more painful flare-ups due to factors such as menstrual cycle, emotional stress, or sitting for a long period of time. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Urge to urinate which may not go away after voiding the bladder
- Urinating an unusually high number of times throughout the day, usually very small amounts with each trip to the bathroom
- Urinating in the middle of the night
- Burning with urination
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Pain between the anus and genitals
- Pain with sexual intercourse
How Do You Know If You Have IC?
IC can be diagnosed with a proper history and physical from a urologist. It is first important to rule out an infection. Sometimes the urologist will feel it is appropriate to do other tests regarding bladder function and to rule out other causes for the symptoms described above. One test called a cystoscopy is when a camera is placed inside your bladder. The difference between IC and painful bladder syndrome is that the cystoscopy will show Hunner’s ulcers on the bladder in IC and the cystoscopy is normal in Painful Bladder Syndrome.
What Are The Risk Factors Of Interstitial Cystitis?
How Is Painful Bladder Syndrome Diagnosed?
A cystoscopy may be performed. A cystoscopy is a diagnostic procedure in which a slender tube with a camera is inserted through the urethra to examine the inside lining of the bladder. During this procedure, your doctor may inject liquid into the bladder to test its capacity, or remove tissue to examine for signs of bladder cancer.
What Are The Possible Treatments For Interstitial Cystitis?
Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine values a multidisciplinary approach to pelvic pain and can employ a combination of treatment techniques to relieve interstitial cystitis / painful bladder syndrome symptoms.
- Physical Therapy: Pelvic floor physical therapy may help relieve muscle tightness or dysfunction that contributes to bladder pain.
- Lifestyle Changes: Many people with interstitial cystitis find that their symptoms are exacerbated by certain foods such as caffeine, spicy foods, and refined sugars. Keeping a pain diary may help zero in on trigger foods and craft an exclusionary diet to reduce pain symptoms. Stress Management/Anxiety reduction is also an important lifestyle modification.
- Oral Medications: Antidepressants, antihistamines, and other specific drugs can be used to help treat the symptoms of IC.
- Bladder Instillations: Also known as a bladder wash or bladder bath, this procedure involves the introduction of a medical solution directly into the bladder to relieve symptoms
- Surgery: Invasive treatment of interstitial cystitis is a last resort, used only if other, less extreme measures are ineffective. Surgery can be performed to remove ulcers or increase the bladder’s capacity.
Are There Preventative Steps Or Measures To Avoid Painful Bladder Syndrome?
What Are The Risks If Interstitial Cystitis Is Left Untreated?
Are There Other Related Conditions To Painful Bladder Syndrome?
Key Takeaways
Norman J. Marcus, MD Allyson Augusta Shrikhande, MD Bill McCarberg, MD Edward Gracely, PhD. A Preliminary Study to Determine if a Muscle Pain Protocol Can Produce Long-Term Relief in Chronic Back Pain Patients. Pain Medicine. 2013 Aug; 14(8): 1212–1221. Link to Article.
Allyson Augusta Shrikhande, MD. Interviewee on Pelvic Health Summit - CPPS. Pelvic Health Summit. 2018 May. Link to Interview.
Allyson Shrikhande, MD sits as the chair of the Medical Education Committee for the International Pelvic Pain Society. Link to Medical Committee.