Aerobic Exercise and Connective Tissue Massage in Painful Bladder Syndrome

Hacettepe University36 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if aerobic exercise training and connective tissue massage, in addition to patient education, can help treat women with bladder pain syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does aerobic exercise training and connective tissue massage reduce bladder-related pain severity? Does this intervention improve urinary symptoms, pain sensitivity, central sensitization-related symptoms, psychological symptoms, and quality of life? Researchers will compare patient education plus aerobic exercise training and connective tissue massage with patient education alone to see if the combined physiotherapy program is more effective. Participants will: Receive patient education about bladder pain syndrome Be randomly assigned to one of two groups Receive either patient education alone or patient education together with aerobic exercise training and connective tissue massage for 8 weeks Complete assessments at the beginning of the study and after 8 weeks

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Bladder Pain Syndrome Painful Bladder Syndrome Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS)

Interventions

Patient EducationBEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive patient education about bladder pain syndrome, symptom management, lifestyle recommendations, and strategies to support self-management. This intervention will be provided to both study groups.

Aerobic Exercise TrainingBEHAVIORAL

Participants in the intervention group will receive an 8-week aerobic exercise training program in addition to patient education.

Connective Tissue MassageOTHER

Participants in the intervention group will receive connective tissue massage in addition to patient education and aerobic exercise training. The intervention will be delivered by a physiotherapist according to the study protocol as part of the 8-week multimodal physiotherapy program.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Female individuals aged 18 years or older * Diagnosis of bladder pain syndrome * Bladder-related pain, discomfort, and/or burning symptoms lasting for at least 6 months * Bladder-related symptom severity, including pain, discomfort, and/or burning, of at least 3 cm on the Visual Analog Scale during the last week * Receiving stable medical treatment * Being medically suitable for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise according to the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire * Volunteering to participate in the study and signing the informed consent form * For individuals aged 65 years or older, a Mini-Mental State Examination score of 24 or higher Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of acute urinary tract or urogynecological infection * Pregnancy and/or breastfeeding * Diagnosis of pelvic, urological, and/or gynecological malignancy or history of pelvic radiotherapy * Pelvic or abdominal surgery within the last 6 months * Presence of congenital urinary system anomalies * History of neurological disease or diagnosis of neurogenic bladder * Open wound or active skin infection in the area where manual therapy will be applied

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Bladder-Related Pain Severity

Bladder-related pain severity will be assessed using a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale. Participants will be asked to mark the point that best represents the most severe bladder-related pain or pain-like discomfort, such as burning, pressure, or discomfort, experienced during the last three days. Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain severity.