Voiding Dysfunction

If your bladder and the different parts of your urinary tract do not work together properly, you may experience a condition generally referred to as voiding dysfunction. This is any type of difficulty urinating and is a condition that can interfere with your quality of life. Fortunately, a variety of treatments offered by the team at MultiCare Urology can help you get your bathroom troubles under control.  

Symptoms of Voiding Dysfunction

If you have voiding dysfunction, you may:

• Feel as though your bladder is not empty
• Find urinating difficult
• Go to the bathroom involuntarily
• Have a slow urination stream
• Urinate more than eight to 10 times a day

Risk Factors for Voiding Dysfunction

Voiding dysfunction usually occurs when muscles in the pelvic floor are overactive or relaxed. Trouble with urinating may also be the result of nerve complications. You may also experience this condition if you have:

• Benign or cancerous tumors in your bladder
• Bladder stones
• Blockages in your urethra
• Enlarged prostate in men
• Overactive bladder
• Prostatitis, which causes inflammation, swelling and tenderness in men

Diagnosis of Voiding Dysfunction

To diagnose a voiding dysfunction, your urologist will perform a physical exam that may include:

• A test called uroflowmetry that determines the amount of urine you release when going and the speed of your urine flow
• Post-void residual (PVR) urine testing, which determines how much urine is left in your bladder after you urinate

Your doctor may also ask you to create a chart for a short time to identify your urination patterns.  

Treatment of Voiding Dysfunction

Urologists with MultiCare offer a variety of options to manage conditions associated with problems urinating.

If you have overactive bladder, they may recommend:

• Sacral nerve modulation — This treatment helps the brain send messages to the nerves located in your tailbone, otherwise known as your sacrum. These nerves are responsible for helping control the flow of urine.
• Posterior tibial nerve stimulation — During this therapy, an electrode is inserted underneath the skin behind your ankle. During a series of treatments, the electrode stimulates the nerves responsible for bladder control.
• Intravesical Botox injection — During this form of treatment, you will receive injections directly into your bladder. These injections block the signals that your nerves send to your muscles.

If you have stress urinary incontinence, they may recommend:

• Artificial urethral sphincter — This prosthetic device may be implanted where your natural external sphincter (the muscle that controls urine flow) is. It may be used if you have a damaged sphincter. 
• Urethral slings — A urethral sling is a band that puts pressure on your urethra. The goal is to prevent a leakage of urine. The band may be made of artificial material or tissue from your own body. 

Other options to treat voiding dysfunction include behavioral therapy and medications.