Axonics

Urinary incontinence is a common problem affecting millions of woman. Amongst women with incontinence (leakage) there are two main forms.

•  Stress incontinence leads to leakage with activity and can be managed with procedures such as mesh slings, the Burch procedure, or urethral bulking.
•  Urge incontinence which is characterized by a pressing need to urinate that you cannot hold back. This is often associated with frequency and getting up at night as well.

While stress incontinence is typically a problem of anatomy which is corrected with surgery, urge incontinence is a problem of bladder physiology. Typically medications are used to treat urge incontinence but not all women will respond and some will have bothersome side effects. 

For these women, there are still many options which are termed "Third Line" therapies (named as such because they are used after changing of behavior and medications fail). One appealing third line therapy for women looking for a long-term solution to their urge incontinence is sacral neurostimulation using the Axonics system.

The bladder is controlled by nerves arising from the lower portion of your spine called your sacrum. Changing how these nerves signal can increase your bladder's ability to hold urine and reduce inappropriate bladder contractions. The Axonics system is placed under anesthesia and involves a small lead placed into the sacrum attached to either a rechargeable battery lasting 15 years (on average) or non-rechargeable batter lasting 10 years. The system is easy to manage after placement and recovery is quick.

To see if you are a candidate for Axonics placement, you will first need nerve testing which is often performed in the office. Please reach out to Dr. Ebel or his team to find out more.

Contact us to set up an appointment today at Dr. Ebel's Findlay, Ohio based practice.