Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL)
Prisoner to the potty? 18 million U.S. adults deal with accidental bowel leakage (ABL). It happens to men and women, younger and older for a number of reasons from car accidents to childbirth. Whatever the cause, not having control can cause embarrassment and isolation, not to mention the cost associated with buying new underwear. The good news; we may be able to help.
In the past, there were few effective treatments for fecal incontinence. For people with nerve damage and sphincter control issues,doctors understood the problem but didn’t have a simple solution. In the past 5 years, more treatment options have become available for people suffering in silence with this condition.
When conservative management including behavioral therapies has proved ineffective (including diet, bladder retraining, pelvic muscle exercises, biofeedback and medication), your physician may recommend a sacral nerve stimulator (SNS).
“Sacral nerve stimulation is a treatment that uses a small system, surgically placed under the skin, to send mild electrical impulses to a nerve located just above the tailbone through a special medical wire,” says Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero,M.D., colorectal surgeon at University Surgical Associates. “These sacral nerves activate or inhibit muscles and organs that contribute to continence. Unlike medications that target the muscular component of bladder or bowel control, SNS offers control of symptoms through direct correction of the nerve activity.”
To schedule an appointment to discuss ABL treatment options, call us at (423) 267-0466.
Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL)
Prisoner to the potty? 18 million U.S. adults deal with accidental bowel leakage (ABL). It happens to men and women, younger and older for a number of reasons from car accidents to childbirth. Whatever the cause, not having control can cause embarrassment and isolation, not to mention the cost associated with buying new underwear. The good news; we may be able to help.
In the past, there were few effective treatments for fecal incontinence. For people with nerve damage and sphincter control issues,doctors understood the problem but didn’t have a simple solution. In the past 5 years, more treatment options have become available for people suffering in silence with this condition.
When conservative management including behavioral therapies has proved ineffective (including diet, bladder retraining, pelvic muscle exercises, biofeedback and medication), your physician may recommend a sacral nerve stimulator (SNS).
“Sacral nerve stimulation is a treatment that uses a small system, surgically placed under the skin, to send mild electrical impulses to a nerve located just above the tailbone through a special medical wire,” says Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero,M.D., colorectal surgeon at University Surgical Associates. “These sacral nerves activate or inhibit muscles and organs that contribute to continence. Unlike medications that target the muscular component of bladder or bowel control, SNS offers control of symptoms through direct correction of the nerve activity.”
To schedule an appointment to discuss ABL treatment options, call us at (423) 267-0466.
