A Phase 2 interventional study of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy and Bladder Instillations in Cystitis, Interstitial and Painful Bladder Syndrome, sponsored by Corewell Health East. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-09.
Sponsored by Corewell Health East · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) have debilitating urinary frequency and urgency, and chronic pelvic or bladder pain perceived to be related to the bladder. Although many clinicians think that IC/BPS symptoms result from a bladder problem, tight pelvic floor muscles can cause similar symptoms and might be responsible for ICBPS symptoms instead of the bladder. Inadequate assessment of the problem leads to delays in treatment and often years of suffering. This clinical trial will test a bladder directed therapy (bladder instillations) compared to a course of pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) to assess the role of the pelvic floor as a major contributor to pelvic pain and voiding dysfunction in adult women with non-ulcerative IC/BPS. Early assessment of the pelvic floor muscles in patients with IC/BPS symptoms may prevent common delays in proper diagnosis and allow for early, more effective treatment.
This will be a prospective randomized trial of pelvic floor therapy vs. bladder directed therapy. The study target population consists of females, aged 18 to 85 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of IC/BPS and symptoms of chronic urinary frequency, pelvic pain/discomfort, and/or urinary urgency. The approximate number of subjects that will be enrolled in the study is 128, 64 women in each treatment group. Women who satisfy all of the eligibility criteria will be enrolled in the study and randomized to receive bladder treatments (instillation of medications into the bladder) or pelvic floor physical therapy.
Outcome measures will include validated questionnaires, voiding diaries, and Global Response Assessment (GRA). The investigators also will evaluate changes in pelvic floor muscle tone and discomfort pre and post treatment, and their relationship to symptom changes. Finally, the investigators will utilize their well-established urine and serum biomarkers evaluations pre and post treatment to determine if they correlate with symptom change.
236 studies on the registry are indexed under Cystitis, Interstitial; 35 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 128 is above the median of 51 across 158 interventional studies indexed under Cystitis, Interstitial.
Browse Cystitis, Interstitial studies →Corewell Health East is the lead sponsor of 19 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Note: For the sake of preserving scientific integrity, one or more of the eligibility criteria have been left off the list posted while the trial is ongoing. A full list of eligibility criteria will be posted upon completion of the trial.
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
One hour of pelvic floor physical therapy twice weekly for 8 weeks
Procedure: Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Bladder instillation of lidocaine, kenalog, heparin sulphate, and bicarbonate twice weekly for 8 weeks
Drug: Bladder Instillations
Internal and/or external myofascial release of the pelvic floor muscles
Also known as: Myofascial release
A solution of heparin sulphate 40,000 IU (4 cc of 10,000 units/cc), lidocaine 2% 16 ml, Sodium bicarbonate 8.4% 4 ml and Kenalog 40 mg (1cc) to reach a total fluid volume of 25 ml will be instilled into the bladder with a urinary catheter
Also known as: xylocaine, triamcinolone
Markedly/Moderately Improved on Global Response Assessments
Proportion of patients in each treatment arm that report Marked or Moderate improvement in symptoms on Global Response Assessments at Week 9 (one week after last treatment)
Time frame: Week 9 (one week after last treatment)
Change in symptoms
Change in pelvic floor examination findings and symptoms as measured by questionnaires at Week 9 (one week after last treatment)
Time frame: Week 9 (one week after last treatment)
Plan to share: No
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Corewell Health East