How to Diagnose Bladder Spasm

Bladder spasms are intense cramps in the bladder muscles that cause the immediate release of the urine. In fact, bladder spasms are one of the most common causes of urinary incontinence. There is a difference between having bladder spasms and having a bladder spasm condition. Bladder spasms can be side effects or symptoms of other condition, while a bladder spasm condition is a health problem in which you have bladder spasms with no underlying condition. Your doctor will have to make a clinical diagnosis, meaning he will rule out as many other health conditions as possible and then make an educated guess.

Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the signs of bladder spasms. They are the sudden involuntary squeezing of the bladder muscles. Bladder spasms are painful, ranging from mild cramping to the type of pelvic pain experienced during childbirth. Bladder spasms are also accompanied by the intense urge to urinate, causing urine dribbles or full on incontinence.

• 2

  Tell your doctor that you think you are having bladder spasms. He will want to know about any incidents you may have. Be sure that you can provide details about when the bladder spasms occurred, how they felt and if they caused urinary incontinence.

• 3

  Provide an accurate list of any medications that you are taking or have been taking in the past few months. Certain drugs like Bethanechol and Valrubin can cause bladder spasms as a side effect. If this is case, you are having a side effect of medication instead of a bladder spasm condition. If possible, your doctor may as you discontinue use of a suspected drug to see in your symptoms improve.

• 4

  Provide a urine sample to your doctor for analysis. Urinary infections can cause bladder spasms and your doctor will want to rule this condition out, especially if you have had urinary infections in the past. Urine is normally sterile, thus bacteria in the urine will indicate infection. If you do have a urinary infection, your doctor will treat it and monitor you bladder spasms to see if they improve.

• 5

  Undergo a cystoscopy, an examination of your bladder using a lighted scope. A cystoscopy can tell your doctor if you can bladder or bladder stones, which may be causing your bladder spasms. Your doctor will ask you to empty your bladder, undress from the waist down and lie down on the exam table. After giving you a sedative and applying a numbing gel to your urethra opening, he will then insert the cystoscope through your urethra and into your bladder.