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Effectiveness of two types of incontinence rehabilitation exercises: A pilot study
Author(s) -
Chiu AihFung,
Hsieh ChunMan,
Chu SuFeng,
Yang Tsan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of urological nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.184
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1749-771X
pISSN - 1749-7701
DOI - 10.1111/ijun.12172
Subject(s) - medicine , urinary incontinence , physical therapy , pelvic floor muscle , psychological intervention , rehabilitation , intervention (counseling) , informed consent , alternative medicine , urology , nursing , pathology
Is abdominal muscle exercise (AME) an effective alternative therapy to treat urinary incontinence (UI)?. Pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) is a conservative and conventional treatment for UI. In recent decades, another innovative method of incontinence rehabilitation involving abdominal muscles exercise, namely AME, was proposed to achieve better UI care. However, the effectiveness of AME is unclear. A quasi‐experimental pilot study with a 12‐week intervention period compared AME with PFME. Women aged ≥45 years with at least one episode per month of stress or mixed UI were enrolled. Informed consent was obtained before participation in the study. Women from each region were considered a cluster and were randomly allocated into the AME or PFME groups. All exercise sessions were accomplished at citizen activity centres. With 20 women in each group, the primary outcomes were to compare the score changes in the Incontinence Severity Index (ISI), 1‐hour pad test, and 3‐day voiding diary whereas the secondary outcomes compared the scores between the pre‐ and post‐tests. The ISI, 1‐hour pad test, and 3‐day voiding diary improved significantly after the interventions within each group; however, no significant difference was found between the groups. The effectiveness of AME was similar to that of PFME. Nevertheless, health care providers should understand the effectiveness of different strategies for treating or preventing UI.