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Effectiveness of Multidimensional Exercises for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Community‐Dwelling Japanese Women: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial
Author(s) -
Kim Hunkyung,
Suzuki Takao,
Yoshida Yuko,
Yoshida Hideyo
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01447.x
Subject(s) - medicine , randomized controlled trial , physical therapy , pelvic floor muscle , urinary incontinence , crossover study , body mass index , intervention (counseling) , urology , alternative medicine , pathology , psychiatry , placebo
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) and fitness exercises in reducing urine leakage in elderly women with stress urinary incontinence (UI). DESIGN: Randomized, crossover, follow‐up trial. SETTING: Urban community in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy women aged 70 and older who reported urine leakage one or more times per month; 35 were randomly assigned to intervention and the other 35 to control. INTERVENTION: The intervention group attended an exercise class aimed at enhancing PFMs and fitness. Duration of the exercise was 60 minutes per session twice a week for 3 months. After 3 months of exercise, the intervention group was followed for 1 year. MEASUREMENTS: Body mass index (BMI), urine leakage, walking speed, and muscle strength were measured at baseline, after the intervention, and at follow‐up. RESULTS: In the intervention group, maximum walking speed and adductor muscle strength increased significantly after the intervention; there were no significant changes in the control group. After 3 months of exercise, 54.5% of the intervention group and 9.4% of the control group reported being continent. Within the cured group of UI, a significantly higher proportion had decreased their BMI at 3 months ( P =.03) and increased walking speed at 3 ( P =.04) and 12 ( P =.047) months. CONCLUSION: Decrease in BMI and increase in walking speed may contribute to the treatment of UI, although the data do not support a positive correlation between strengthening of adductor muscle and improvement of UI, which needs more research.