Electrostimulation and PFMT for Stress Urinary Incontinence

Overview

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate and compare the effects of electrostimulation in addition to pelvic floor muscle training and pelvic floor muscle training alone on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function, urinary incontinence and quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence. The main questions are: What is the effect of electrostimulation combined with pelvic floor muscle training on pelvic floor muscle function, symptoms of urinary incontinence and quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence? What is the effect of pelvic floor muscle training program on pelvic floor muscle function, symptoms of urinary incontinence and quality of life in women with stress urinary incontinence? Which intervention is more effective - electrostimulation with pelvic floor muscle training or pelvic floor muscle training alone? Participants will be evaluated before and after the interventions with the following methods: International Incontinence Counseling Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF) Pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance will be assessed with a "Pelvexiser" perineometer.

The study involved 24 women 20-49 years old who have complained of stress urinary incontinence for at least 4 weeks, who gave at least one birth vaginally and signed the consent form. Subjects were excluded if they were pregnant, were diagnosed with vaginismus, urinary tract infections, cancer, epilepsy, pelvic organ prolapse greater than stage I, skin diseases, had undergone previous pelvic floor surgeries, had heart stimulator, or metal implant and were unable to contract the PFM. Study participants were randomly divided into two groups: the I group (n=12), in which participants underwent pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and the II group (n=12) in which subjects received pelvic floor muscle exercises combined with electrostimulation (PFMES).Participants were evaluated before the interventions and repeated after 4 weeks. Before and after the interventions, women's quality of life (QoL) was assessed according to the International Incontinence Counseling Questionnaire - Short Form. Perineometry with Pelvexiser perineometer was used to measure pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance and vaginal resting pressure. Statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 and Microsoft Excel software 365.