A Pilot Study Investigating the Use of a Therapeutic Wand in Addition to Physiotherapy for Bladder Pain Syndrome
Painful Bladder Syndrome
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Painful Bladder Syndrome
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 18- 65 years - upper limit to reduce the risk of vaginal bleeding upon treatment with the therapeutic wand
- A diagnosis of Bladder Pain Syndrome or interstitial cystitis as per the definition of the International Society for the Study of bladder pain syndrome
- Symptoms of bladder pain, urgency and frequency in at least the last month prior to study participation
- Pain on palpation of the pelvic floor muscles, as per the European Urology Association bladder pain syndrome guidelines
- Ability to attend the department for treatment
- Ability to give informed consent
- Sufficient upper limb control to allow the participant to manipulate the therapeutic wand for self-treatment
Exclusion Criteria:
- Concurrent diagnoses which may cause pelvic pain including; chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea, or irritable bowel syndrome
- Postmenopausal atrophic vaginitis due to risk of vaginal trauma and bleeding with therapeutic wand use
- Reasonable suspicion of other treatable pathologies, such as urinary tract infection
- No appropriate investigations completed such as urinalysis, urodynamic or cystoscopic assessment during diagnosis of bladder pain syndrome, as per National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance
- Pregnancy or planning to conceive
- Symptoms associated only with menses
- Undergoing concurrent treatments that could affect outcome e.g. botox or analgesic injections, sacral neuromodulation or physiotherapy treatment
Sites / Locations
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
Experimental
Usual physiotherapy treatment group
Therapeutic Wand group
This group will receive standard specialist physiotherapy intervention for bladder pain syndrome: dietary advice regarding fluid and fibre intake, advice regarding bladder retraining and 15 minutes manual intra-vaginal pelvic floor muscle myofascial release and gentle stretching each week for 6 weeks. They will be instructed to briefly contract and then fully relax their pelvic floor muscles independently (clothed, in a seated or lying position) for 5 minutes daily.
This group will receive the standard specialist physiotherapy intervention for bladder pain syndrome for 6 weeks, but will also be provided with an intra-vaginal therapeutic wand and taught how to use it. They will then be asked to use the therapeutic wand at home twice a week to release and relax their pelvic floor muscles for 5 minutes.