How does the bladder change after SCI?

Authors: SCIRE Community Team | Reviewer: Bonnie Nybo | Published: 18 January 2018 | Updated: 16 October 2024

Neurogenic bladder is bladder dysfunction caused by damage to the nerves, brain or spinal cord. After a spinal cord injury, nerve signals that normally allow the brain and bladder to communicate with one another cannot get through. This can affect bladder sensation and control.

Signals from the brain are needed for the bladder muscles to contract and relax properly. If these signals cannot get through, the bladder muscles may contract too much, too little, or at the wrong times, depending on whether the person has spastic or flaccid bladder.

Normally, signals that are sent up the spinal cord to the brain when the bladder is full. When the signals are interrupted, the ability to feel fullness and other sensations from the bladder may be reduced.

Bladder changes after SCI are different for everyone. Some people experience only mild changes to how the bladder works (such as greater sense of urgency when the bladder is full); while others experience complete loss of bladder sensation and control.

The symptoms of neurogenic bladder depend on the characteristics of the SCI, such as the level and completeness of the injury. There are two main types of neurogenic bladder after SCI, spastic bladder and flaccid bladder (see below).