Physiotherapeutic assessment and management of overactive bladder syndrome: a case report

Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB) has multiple treatment methods including pharmacotherapy, pelvic floor muscle training, electrostimulation, or surgery. One of the nonpharmacological treatment options is physiotherapy including pelvic floor muscle training.

The patient was a 25 year-old woman who attended the urogynecological physiotherapy consulting room due to frequent sensations of bladder pressure. Manual inspection and ultrasound imaging was used by the physiotherapist in order to assess the function of pelvic and abominal structures. The patient reported pain symptoms during examination of several pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. The patient was judged eligible for urogynecological physiotherapeutic treatment. Manual therapy of the lumbopelvic hip complex, manual therapy per vaginum, manual therapy of the musculus piriformis, and therapy of the superficial back line myofascial meridian and the lateral line myofascial meridian were used. During the final session, the patient reported an improvement in relation to the symptoms presented, most notably no frequent feeling of bladder pressure.

Treatment of OAB is often a multistage process involving application of different therapies by a multidisciplinary team. For this patient, physiotherapy assessment and intervention were an integral part of the conservative management of OAB.