Stop Racing to
the Bathroom.
Phoenix's center for sacral neuromodulation — specialty treatment for urinary urgency, urge incontinence, frequency, nocturia, and urinary retention. When medications and pelvic-floor therapy haven't worked, you have more options.
Urinary incontinence is not
a single condition.
The right treatment depends on which type of leakage you experience. We evaluate each pattern carefully before recommending any therapy.
Urinary Urgency
A sudden, hard-to-control need to urinate — sometimes without warning. The hallmark symptom of overactive bladder.
Urge Incontinence
Sudden urgency followed by involuntary leakage before reaching the bathroom. One of the most disruptive patterns.
Urinary Frequency
More than 8 daytime bathroom trips. Disrupts work, travel, and social life significantly.
Nocturia
Waking 2 or more times per night to urinate. Disrupts sleep, energy, and overall quality of life.
Urinary Retention
Difficulty fully emptying the bladder, often without an obstructive cause. FDA-approved SNM indication.
Stress Incontinence
Leakage with cough, laugh, sneeze, or exertion. Common after childbirth or pelvic surgery. Evaluated separately.
Mixed Incontinence
Symptoms of both urge and stress incontinence. Treatment is matched to the dominant pattern.
Sacral neuromodulation may help
when other treatments haven't.
SNM is most often considered when conservative therapies haven't provided enough relief. Many of our patients arrive with at least one of the following.
- ✓You experience sudden, hard-to-control urinary urgency.
- ✓You leak urine before you can reach the bathroom.
- ✓You make frequent bathroom trips during the day.
- ✓You wake up multiple times each night to urinate.
- ✓You have tried bladder medications without sufficient relief.
- ✓You stopped medications because of side effects.
- ✓You have difficulty fully emptying your bladder.
- ✓You have completed pelvic-floor therapy without lasting relief.
- ✓You want to test the therapy before committing to an implant.
Every patient completes a short trial — before any permanent decision.
You wear a small external test device for 1–2 weeks and go about your normal life. If you don't see meaningful improvement, the lead is removed. No implant. No pressure.
Source: ARTISAN-SNM 2-year study · Pezzella et al. (2021) · PMID 33508155
Schedule a Free Consult →Sacral neuromodulation —
a bladder pacemaker for lasting relief
A small nerve stimulator delivers mild electrical pulses to the S3 sacral nerve, coordinating the nerves that control bladder and pelvic-floor function. We use the Axonics System (Boston Scientific) and Medtronic InterStim — both FDA-approved.
External Trial
A 1–2 week test phase using a temporary lead and external stimulator. You go about your normal life while tracking whether urgency, leakage, and frequency improve. Fully reversible.
Permanent Implant
If your trial is successful, a small rechargeable device is implanted in a same-day outpatient procedure under local anesthesia with sedation. Many patients resume light activity the same day.
Programming & Follow-up
Settings are fine-tuned in the office over the first 4–8 weeks. The device is fully reversible and rated for up to 20 years of rechargeable battery life.
Trial first. Always.
If the external trial doesn't produce real improvement, we don't proceed with an implant. You are never locked in — and you are always in control.
Ranked #1 of all therapies
in a 17-RCT meta-analysis
Source: ARTISAN-SNM 2-year study · Pezzella et al. (2021) · PMID 33508155
How SNM compares to
other urinary incontinence treatments
Not every treatment is right for every patient. Here's what the head-to-head research shows.
| Treatment | Best For | What the Evidence Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Medications | First-line OAB | Only ~1 in 8 patients achieves durable control. Anticholinergics linked to increased dementia risk and falls in older adults. |
| Pelvic Floor Therapy | Stress / mixed symptoms | Helpful adjunct, but typically doesn't resolve neurogenic urgency or fecal incontinence. |
| PTNS | Office-based, no implant | ~0.8 fewer voids/day. Weekly visits for 12 weeks, then monthly indefinitely. Only ~26% maintain benefit at 3 years. |
| Bladder Botox | OAB / urge incontinence | Effective short-term but 1.55× higher adverse-event rate and 1.58× higher early UTI risk vs. SNM. Repeat injections every 6–9 months. |
| Sacral Neuromodulation ✦ | OAB, urge incontinence, urinary retention, fecal incontinence | Ranked #1 of all therapies in a 17-RCT meta-analysis. Reduces frequency 6.4–8.1 voids/day and incontinence 8.9–10.96 episodes/day. Trial first, then a device rated for 10–20 years. |
Sources: Wang et al., Toxins 2020 (17-RCT network meta-analysis) · Eftekhar et al., Int Urogynecol J 2020
Treated by the
#1 Axonics provider in the world
Dr. Tory L. McJunkin, MD
Dr. McJunkin is a triple board-certified neuromodulation specialist, former Mayo Clinic faculty member, and author/editor of the definitive sacral neuromodulation textbook. He has trained more than 1,000 physicians in neuromodulation and personally implants Axonics and Medtronic InterStim systems daily. He performs every trial and every permanent implant himself — no fellows, no residents.
No pressure. No committing
to surgery on day one.
The first visit is a conversation. Here is exactly what to expect.
Your story
We start by listening — symptom history, what you've already tried, and how leakage affects your daily life. Bring your voiding diary if you have one.
Honest candidacy review
Not everyone is a candidate for sacral neuromodulation. Dr. McJunkin tells you directly which therapies match your situation — including non-implant options.
Clear next steps
You leave with a written plan, timing, and insurance details. Our team handles prior authorization. Your first appointment can be telehealth.
Telehealth available for the initial consultation.
No need to travel for the first visit. We send the video link 24 hours before your appointment. Medicare and most major plans accepted. No referral required.
Medicare and most major plans
cover sacral neuromodulation.
Blue Shield
Healthcare
No referral required. Our team handles prior authorizations on your behalf and verifies your benefits before any procedure. Coverage applies when medical-necessity criteria are met — typically prior failure of conservative therapy and medications.
Your urinary incontinence
questions, answered honestly.
You've planned life around
the bathroom long enough.
Most patients start with a short consultation and, when appropriate, a temporary trial before making any permanent decision. Your first appointment can be telehealth.
Schedule a Free ConsultationNo referral required · Medicare accepted · Telehealth available