Motor Cortical Neuromodulation in Women With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Reducing Pain by Improving Brain and Muscle Activity
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common, chronic, and debilitating condition in women. Preliminary evidence suggests that IC/BPS pain can be reduced applying non-invasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to areas of the brain that regulate pelvic floor muscle activity. However, prior studies have examined rTMS in a very limited sample and have not examined changes in brain or pelvic floor muscle activity to determine the mechanism of rTMS for IC/BPS. This study is designed to directly address these limitations.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be female.
• Have a diagnosis of IC/BPS by the referring physician, with urologic symptoms present a majority of the time during the most recent 3 months
• Screen within standard limits for pelvic pain