Whole Body Vibration and Pelvic Floor Exercises on Urinary Incontinence

Overview

Stress urinary incontinence is common in men following prostate cancer surgery. Rehabilitative interventions incorporate pelvic floor muscle training, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, lifestyle changes, or a combination of these strategies. However, little is known about the physiological impact of whole-body vibration for stress urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy. Participants: Sixty-one patients with mild Stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy. Intervention: patients were randomly assigned into two groups: group 1 included 30 patients who received pelvic floor muscle training and whole-body vibration training with a frequency and amplitude of 20 Hz/ 2 mm for the first 2 sessions and 40 Hz/ 4 mm for the rest of intervention; while group 2 included 31 patients who performed only pelvic floor muscle training. The intervention in both groups was performed three times per week for 4 weeks.

Participants were recruited from Cairo University Hospitals who suffered from mild SUI for at least 6 months after RP. The diagnosis was confirmed by the referred physician via 24-h pad test which supposed to be less than 100 grams gain of weight of the pad/s worn by the patient. The exclusion criteria were artificial pacemaker, body mass index (BMI)\> 35 kg/m2, urinary infection, bleeding from the urinary bladder or the digestive tract, polyuria, diabetes mellitus, detrusor over-activity, neuromuscular disorder, ear problems or any other medical condition that would affect participation in the training program. Main outcomes: Incontinence Visual Analogue Scale (I-VAS), the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) and 24-hour pad test.