Why Does My Bladder Hurt?

Your bladder is a part of the urinary system. It is a hollow muscular organ used to store urine. As urine fills your bladder, the muscles in the bladder relax, allowing the bladder to expand. During urination, the muscles contract and push the urine through the urinary tract system and out of the body. Typically, you are unaware of your bladder until it becomes full and you need to urinate. When this occurs, you may feel pressure as the bladder becomes heavy and the muscle expands. If this heaviness turns into pain, it can negatively affect your life, and you may ask yourself why does my bladder hurt?

Do you have sudden urges to urinate multiple times per hour? Does it feel like you constantly have a urinary tract infection? What does it mean when your bladder hurts? Several reasons can cause bladder irritation. You may be inclined to know the cause of your bladder pain. Here are the top reasons your bladder hurts and some symptoms you may be experiencing.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) causes the prostate to enlarge. Symptoms include the inability to urinate, loss of control, frequent urination, weak stream, difficulty going to the bathroom, and nighttime trips to the bathroom. BPH can lead to bladder stones, urinary retention, and urinary tract infections, which can cause bladder pain.

Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and other types of cancer that originate in the bladder. It causes several unpleasant symptoms, including bladder pain, pain during urination, problems passing urination, lower back pain, and blood in your urine.

Bladder Stones

Bladder stones are mineral deposits caused by dehydration and concentrated urine. Minerals like calcium and magnesium crystalize, forming bladder stones. The symptoms include painful urination, bladder pain, lower abdominal pain, frequent urination, and back pain. When symptoms first appear, you may ask yourself, why is your bladder hurting? Over time, the pain and other symptoms will begin to worsen.

Dehydration

Dehydration can lead to bladder pain. Many people complain their bladder hurts after peeing. When dehydrated, urine can become acidic and cause burning upon urination. You can reduce the risk of dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids daily. Water flushes toxins out of your body, including your urinary tract.

Spicy, Acidic, or Citrus Foods

Certain foods like spicy, acidic, and citrus fruits can cause painful bladder spasms. Food additives and preservatives can also cause bladder spasms. Common problematic foods include alcohol, artificial sweeteners, caffeine beverages, chocolate, citrus foods and juices, pickles, and tomatoes.

Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic, painful bladder condition caused by inflammation and bladder irritation. Approximately 3 to 8 million women and 1 to 4 million men have interstitial cystitis in the United States. This chronic condition causes the bladder to stiffen, making it difficult to expand when it fills with urine. As the bladder fills, you may experience pain in your abdomen, groin, or lower back.

Medications

Certain medications can cause bladder discomfort, pain, and leakage. Some of the common medications that can affect your bladder include chemotherapy drugs like valrubicin and diuretics like bethanechol, furosemide, and hydrochlorothiazide. If you are taking any of these medications, you must let your doctor know of any changes in urination and tell your doctor, ‘My bladder hurts when I pee.’

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic medical condition in which the myelin covering the nerves becomes damaged, resulting in muscle weakness, coordination problems, pain, and muscle spasms. Some signs of multiple sclerosis include bladder spasms that cause bladder pain and urinary incontinence.

Neurogenic Bladder

Nerve damage can lead to a Neurogenic bladder. Alcoholism, vitamin B12 deficiency, brain tumors, herniated disks, peripheral neuropathy, diabetes, neural tube defects, and syringomyelia can cause nerve damage. Neurogenic bladder causes spasms in the bladder that can lead to bladder pain and urine leakage.

Painful Bladder Syndrome

Painful bladder syndrome causes a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. You may experience burning during urination, frequent urination, and bladder pain. Severe cases of painful bladder syndrome can go to the bathroom to try to urinate as many as 40 times per day. Sufferers often report sharp pain extending through their urethra or rectum to the bladder.

Surgery

Lower abdominal surgery can weaken the bladder or pelvic floor muscles. Additionally, nerves that control the bladder can be damaged. Surgeries like hysterectomy, bladder surgery, prostatectomy, or C-sections can cause damage and lead to painful bladder spasms.

Urinary Catheter

A urinary catheter is a medical device used to drain urine from the bladder – either temporarily or permanently. Some individuals report severe discomfort from urinary catheters due to bladder spasms.

Urinary Tract Infections

A urinary tract infection can be pretty painful. The most common cause is the introduction of E. coli into the urinary tract. The disease causes several symptoms, including pain during urination, bladder pain, flank pain, fever, and frequent urination. Individuals who are heavier weight, female, diabetic, or sexually active are at an increased risk of developing a urinary tract infection.

Holistic Treatment for Bladder Pain

People want to know why their bladder hurts and how to find relief. There are many different reasons why you may be experiencing bladder pain. Your functional medicine doctor will take an entire medical history and complete a workup to determine why your bladder is hurting.

Bladder pain can be challenging to deal with, especially accompanied by the urge to urinate, flank pain, abdominal pain, back pain, urinary incontinence, and frequent urination. The unrelenting pain and bladder pressure can affect all areas of your life. You may experience interrupted sleep, embarrassment, anxiety, and stress.

Your functional doctor will work with you to determine the root cause of your bladder pain and provide a personalized treatment plan that may also include medications, acupuncture, dietary modifications, stress relief, and cognitive behavioral therapy. We will guide you through your healing journey and explain any necessary changes to keep your urinary system healthy and functioning correctly.