Wearables for the Bladder: an In-home Treatment Feasibility Pilot Study

Moving MS Bladder Dysfunction Into the 21st Century: Developing Novel and Accessible Ways to Treat Dysfunction in the Home - a Three Month Single Arm Open Label Feasibility Pilot With Waitlist Control

The goal is to investigate the feasibility and effects of adding "wearables for the bladder" devices to conventional pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) to bladder function, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The participants baseline pelvic floor and bladder function will be assessed by a pelvic floor physical therapist as per standard care, and online MS-symptom questionnaires (i.e., quality of life, bladder bother/symptoms, falls, fatigue, depression). Participants will be trained on the maintenance and use of "wearable for the bladder" (WeB) devices. Participants will receive standard PFPT intervention care, and will be asked to further train using the WeB devices. 8-10 sessions will be conducted over telehealth or in person as per standard protocol. At 12 weeks, participants will return to clinic for pelvic floor and bladder function assessment.

A control group will receive standard PFPT intervention care as well as online MS-symptom questionnaires.

Inclusion Criteria:

• MS diagnosis
• Assigned Female at birth and whose sex is currently Female
• Mild/moderate bladder dysfunction (bowel/bladder functional systems scores = 0-2 or Bladder control scale >0)
• California residents
• Wifi in the home and personal smartphone (using Apple operating system)
• Able to walk with or without assistive device
• Manual muscle test score of 2 or more.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Undergone treatment for bladder dysfunction symptoms within 3 months
• Current urinary tract infection
• Recent (~30 days) relapse
• Any cognitive, dexterity or visual impairment so severe that it precludes use of the wearables for the bladder tool or ability to use a smartphone
• Pregnancy