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The Effects of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training on Stress and Mixed Urinary Incontinence and Quality Of Life

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training on urinary incontinence (UI) and quality of life in women diagnosed with stress or mixed UI. DESIGN We completed a parallel group, randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of PFM training in women with stress or mixed UI. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS We recruited consecutive cases of women with stress or mixed UI from outpatient urology clinics attached to a county hospital and a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey. METHODS After baseline evaluation, 41 women were randomly assigned to either the PFM training group or the control group. Muscle training included 3 sets of daily fast and slow contractions in lying, sitting, and standing positions. Participants were also taught the knack. The intervention period was 8 weeks, and the women in the exercise group telephoned once a week to provide motivation. The untreated control group had no contact during the intervention period. Outcome measures were Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL) Questionnaire, episodes of leakage in 3-day bladder diary, 1-hour pad test, and PFM strength. RESULTS Thirty-four women completed the trial. The mean age of women was 41.82 ± 8.65 years in the exercise group and 44.64 ± 6.90 years in the control group. The 2 groups were statistically similar regarding key demographic and clinical characteristics. After 8 weeks, significant differences in the 1-hour pad test, episodes of leakage in 3-day bladder diary, PFM strength, and I-QOL scores (P = .01) were noted when participants in the PFM training group were compared to control group participants. CONCLUSION An 8-week trial of PFM training significantly increased PFM strength, improved quality of life, and reduced the frequency of UI episodes.