Exercise programmes for women with stress urinary incontinence
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Exercise programmes for women with stress urinary incontinence

Margarida Ferreira Professor of physiotherapy, North Polytechnic, Institute of Health, Gandra and PhD student, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Portugal
Paula Clara Santos Professor of physiotherapy, School of Health Technology, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal
José Alberto Duarte Professor of exercise physiology, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Portugal
Rita Rodrigues Physiotherapist, Department of Physiotherapy, North Polytechnic Institute of Health, CESPU-Gandra, Portugal

Margarida Ferreira and colleagues report on a randomised pilot study to evaluate home-based and supervised pelvic floor training

Aim To compare the efficacy of a supervised pelvic floor exercise programme and conventional home-prescribed exercise programme for the treatment of mild-to-moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women.

Method Thirty four women with SUI were randomly distributed into a group home exercise programme (HEP) or group HEP and supervised exercise programme (HEP+SEP). The HEP group performed eight to ten contractions of the pelvic floor muscles three times a day for six months. The HEP+SEP group also attended a weekly, 45-minute supervised exercise programme.

Results Compared to pre- and post-training values, the strength of pelvic floor muscles increased in HEP and HEP+SEP. Similar reductions on pad test were registered in HEP and HEP+SEP. The urinary leakage episodes per week decreased in HEP and HEP+SEP. The rate of women who thought they were cured, almost cured, or feeling better was 100 per cent in HEP+SEP and 64.7 per cent in HEP.

Conclusion The home exercise programme was beneficial for women with mild-to-moderate SUI; but the HEP+SEP improvement was more pronounced.

Primary Health Care. 22, 3, 24-27. doi: 10.7748/phc2012.04.22.3.24.c9021

Correspondence

margasufer@gmail.com

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Conflict of interest

None declared

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