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Effects of pelvic floor exercises in middle aged women with a history of naïve urinary incontinence: a population based study.

Gunnarsson, Marianne LU ; Teleman, Pia LU ; Mattiasson, Anders LU ; Lidfeldt, Jonas LU ; Nerbrand, Christina LU and Samsioe, Göran LU (2002) In European Urology 41(5). p.556-561
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To follow the effect of a 4-month pelvic floor exercise (PFE) program in women with naïve urinary incontinence with vaginal electromyography (EMG), pressure and palpation and also to compare the initial findings with symptom-free women of the same age.METHODS: The pelvic floor function expressed with vaginal EMG, pressure and palpation was measured before, during and after 4 months of PFEs in 60 previously untreated incontinent women, 50 of whom completed the study. The patients' perception of the situation and the amount of leakage were estimated before and after PFE. The incontinent group was compared at baseline and after PFE with 28 healthy controls. All women in this study (age 53-63) were randomly recruited from a major... (More)
OBJECTIVE: To follow the effect of a 4-month pelvic floor exercise (PFE) program in women with naïve urinary incontinence with vaginal electromyography (EMG), pressure and palpation and also to compare the initial findings with symptom-free women of the same age.METHODS: The pelvic floor function expressed with vaginal EMG, pressure and palpation was measured before, during and after 4 months of PFEs in 60 previously untreated incontinent women, 50 of whom completed the study. The patients' perception of the situation and the amount of leakage were estimated before and after PFE. The incontinent group was compared at baseline and after PFE with 28 healthy controls. All women in this study (age 53-63) were randomly recruited from a major population based study.RESULTS: At baseline, the incontinent women had significant reductions of both vaginal EMG activity and pelvic floor muscle condition as estimated by palpation compared to the healthy group. During training a successive, significant increase was seen in both EMG, pressure and palpation and the values eventually exceeded those of the healthy women. The measures reflecting improvement of pelvic floor function thus showed a consistent and progressive pattern. The degree of improvement was higher in those with initial high values in the muscle function tests than in the women with lower initial EMG values, pressures and findings on palpation. No differences were seen between patients with a history of stress incontinence and patients with an urge component, i.e. urge or mixed incontinence. Sixty-four percent of the women were satisfied and wanted no further treatment. The median leakage at pad-test decreased from 5 (range 0-328) to 1 (range 0-126) g/24h. The correlation between the vaginal and the pad-test measurements was weak.CONCLUSION: Women with urinary incontinence have a significant reduction of pelvic floor function as estimated with vaginal EMG and palpation as compared to symptom-free controls. A successive normalization of vaginal EMG, pressure and findings at palpation was seen during the 4-month training period. Incontinence of both stress type and with an urge component can be alleviated in most of the women with PFE. These methods might be useful for routine evaluation of the pelvic neuromuscular disorder present in incontinent women. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
European Urology
volume
41
issue
5
pages
556 - 561
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:12074799
  • wos:000176636100016
  • scopus:0036586903
ISSN
1873-7560
DOI
10.1016/S0302-2838(02)00067-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7e172f08-fd4c-4fcd-9cbc-88038c28e74a (old id 108925)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12074799&dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:17:13
date last changed
2022-01-28 18:39:24
@article{7e172f08-fd4c-4fcd-9cbc-88038c28e74a,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: To follow the effect of a 4-month pelvic floor exercise (PFE) program in women with naïve urinary incontinence with vaginal electromyography (EMG), pressure and palpation and also to compare the initial findings with symptom-free women of the same age.METHODS: The pelvic floor function expressed with vaginal EMG, pressure and palpation was measured before, during and after 4 months of PFEs in 60 previously untreated incontinent women, 50 of whom completed the study. The patients' perception of the situation and the amount of leakage were estimated before and after PFE. The incontinent group was compared at baseline and after PFE with 28 healthy controls. All women in this study (age 53-63) were randomly recruited from a major population based study.RESULTS: At baseline, the incontinent women had significant reductions of both vaginal EMG activity and pelvic floor muscle condition as estimated by palpation compared to the healthy group. During training a successive, significant increase was seen in both EMG, pressure and palpation and the values eventually exceeded those of the healthy women. The measures reflecting improvement of pelvic floor function thus showed a consistent and progressive pattern. The degree of improvement was higher in those with initial high values in the muscle function tests than in the women with lower initial EMG values, pressures and findings on palpation. No differences were seen between patients with a history of stress incontinence and patients with an urge component, i.e. urge or mixed incontinence. Sixty-four percent of the women were satisfied and wanted no further treatment. The median leakage at pad-test decreased from 5 (range 0-328) to 1 (range 0-126) g/24h. The correlation between the vaginal and the pad-test measurements was weak.CONCLUSION: Women with urinary incontinence have a significant reduction of pelvic floor function as estimated with vaginal EMG and palpation as compared to symptom-free controls. A successive normalization of vaginal EMG, pressure and findings at palpation was seen during the 4-month training period. Incontinence of both stress type and with an urge component can be alleviated in most of the women with PFE. These methods might be useful for routine evaluation of the pelvic neuromuscular disorder present in incontinent women.}},
  author       = {{Gunnarsson, Marianne and Teleman, Pia and Mattiasson, Anders and Lidfeldt, Jonas and Nerbrand, Christina and Samsioe, Göran}},
  issn         = {{1873-7560}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{556--561}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Urology}},
  title        = {{Effects of pelvic floor exercises in middle aged women with a history of naïve urinary incontinence: a population based study.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0302-2838(02)00067-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0302-2838(02)00067-2}},
  volume       = {{41}},
  year         = {{2002}},
}