The effect of two types of exercise therapy on improvement of stress urinary incontinence in women

Abstract

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common problem among adults living in the community and it is more frequent in women. Its incidence increases with age, the number of pregnancy and body mass index (BMI). So far, several conservative treatments have been proposed for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two types of exercise therapy on symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Methods: In this single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) study, 41 patients with stress incontinence with age range of 20 to 65 years were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups, biofeedback and abdominal exercises. Quality of life and muscle strength were investigated by international consultation on incontinence (ICIQ) questionnaire and standard oxford scale grade (OSG), respectively before and after the intervention. Findings: After 12 weeks of treatment, quality of life improved in both groups (P < 0.01). Pelvic floor muscle strength was also increased after treatment in both group (P < 0.01), but, there was no statistically significant difference between the quality of life and muscle strength between two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that adding abdominal muscle training to pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) have no statistically significant impact on the rehabilitation of the women with SUI. � 2016, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.