Interstitial Cystitis

Physical Therapy is now being recommended by physicians for the treatment of interstitial cystitis (IC). Physical therapy is used to help ease IC symptoms and pain. Painful bladder syndrome, aka Interstitial cystitis, is a chronic condition that causes bladder pain, bladder pressure and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe.

Your bladder stores urine and is a muscular, hollow organ. When the bladder is full most people experience an urgency to pee. This expansion of the bladder signals the brain through the pelvic nerves that it is time to pee. However, with interstitial cystitis the signals get mixed and you feel the need to urinate more often with smaller qualities of urine than most people.

Interstitial cystitis symptoms vary from person to person and over time. Many women claim that the flare up occurs periodically during menstruation, sitting for long periods of time, during stress exercise and even during and after sexual activity. The symptoms and signs may include the following:

• Chronic pelvic pain
• Many trips to the restroom to pee but only small amounts of urine trickle out (could be up to 60 times a day)
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• A persistent, urgent need to pee
• Pain or discomfort while the bladder fills and relief after urinating

Interstitial cystitis can create a number of complications such as:

• Emotional troubles
  • Emotional stress that leads to depression can be the result of uninterrupted sleep and chronic pain associated with interstitial cystitis
• Reduced bladder capacity
• The bladder wall stiffens and allows your bladder to hold less urine
• A lack of sexual intimacy and problems in personal relationships
  • Frequent urination and the pain associated may strain your personal relations, this includes sexual intimacy
• Reduction in Quality of Life
  • Frequent urination and pain can hinder your social activities, work and other daily life activities

If you suffer from urinary urgency, frequency, and burning but do not have an infection you will have a greater chance of benefiting from physical therapy. During your visit at Fusion Physical Therapy our trained women’s physical therapist will conduct a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation, which helps to determine if pelvic floor dysfunction is a contributing factor to the interstitial cystitis symptoms. She will work with you to create a custom treatment plan that may include manual techniques, education that reduces anxiety associated with this illness as well as home exercises.

Contact us today at 580-699-5455 or visit us at https://lawtonphysicaltherapy.com/book-an-appointment/ to make an appointment!