RGU’s goal is to help everyone experiencing bladder control issues find relief and improve their quality of life. But, sometimes, patients need more specialized care than their primary doctor or urologist can provide. That’s why RGU developed the Overactive Bladder (OAB) Clinic. The purpose of this clinic is to provide a more personalized, focused approach if you’ve been diagnosed with an overactive bladder and need a little extra care or support. The OAB clinic provides specialized, customizable treatment plans that work for you.

How is RGU’s Overactive Bladder clinic different?

Usually, patients treated for an overactive bladder are simply offered medication and sent away. That’s not how RGU operates. When you come to the OAB clinic, your doctor will spend time listening to you and giving you a comprehensive health assessment to see what your next steps should be.  Our goal isn’t to get patients in and out of the door; we want to spend the time upfront to make sure you’re receiving the treatment you need.

Your plan of care will consist of a thorough evaluation and a customized treatment plan that focuses on what you need to improve your symptoms. At our OAB clinic, we’re proactive about educating our patients by helping them have a better understanding of their issues and the advanced treatments that may be available to them.

What treatment options are available?

It’s important to know that the goal of treating overactive bladder issues such as incontinence and urinary retention isn’t to eliminate symptoms. Bladder issues don’t occur overnight, and they change your body. So your symptoms may continue to be part of your everyday life. While we can’t cure overactive bladder, we aim to significantly reduce your symptoms so you can improve your wellbeing.

Some of the therapies the OAB clinic offers are:

Behavior modification: Behavior training is considered the first line of defense for urinary incontinence treatment and includes:

• Lifestyle changes (such as diet and exercise)
• Bladder training (like making scheduled trips to the toilet to lengthen the time between bathroom breaks)
• Pelvic floor exercise (such as Kegel exercises to help strengthen your pelvic floor)

Medication: Medication can be an effective treatment option for overactive bladder. Your doctor will work with you to decide which medication is right for you.

Biofeedback: With biofeedback, you’ll be connected to electrical sensors that can help you become more conscious of how your body is working. This makes it easier for you to recognize and gain control over your bodily functions such as strengthening your pelvic muscles.

Axonics therapy: This is an outpatient procedure where an implant about the size of a quarter is placed in your upper buttock area, just under the skin. This long-lasting treatment helps manage your symptoms by providing gentle stimulation to the nerves that control the bladder. This, in turn, helps restore normal communication between your brain and your bladder.

Botox: If other treatments such as bladder and muscle training, lifestyle changes, and medication haven’t been successful, you may be a candidate for botox injections to treat your overactive bladder. Botox can be used for patients with severe overactive bladder, and they’ll need to receive injections periodically.

Overactive bladder can diminish your quality of life, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re suffering from an overactive bladder and haven’t seen an improvement in symptoms even after being treated by your primary practitioner or urologist, you may be a candidate for the OAB clinic. Talk to your doctor about your treatment options, or schedule an appointment today.