Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women, Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)
Conditions
Keywords
Post-partum stress urinary incontinence, Hypopressive exercises, Pelvic floor muscle training, Quality of life
Brief summary
Postpartum stress urinary incontinence is a widespread condition characterized by involuntary loss of urine during physical exertion, such as sneezing, coughing, or lifting heavy weights. Most frequently occur in multiparous women with vaginal delivery, who are obese, constipated, or with low maternal education. Damage to the levator ani muscle complex and adjacent fascia during childbirth affects urethral mobility and consequently results in sphincter insufficiency. Hypopressive exercises involve breathing techniques that regulate the intra-abdominal pressure. HE has been recently recognized for benefits such as pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength, endurance, postural control, core muscle activation, and respiratory capacity, which efficiently improve symptom severity and quality of life in postpartum women. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is a set of frequent voluntary contractions designed to improve strength, coordination, and control. PFMT is considered as standard treatment protocol for urinary incontinence and other postpartum complications. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) and the Incontinence Quality of Life (IQOL) are used to assess symptom severity and quality of life, respectively. This study seeks to bridge that gap by evaluating and comparing the outcomes of HE and PFMT in postpartum women experiencing SUI. This research aims to support postpartum recovery, improve women's daily functioning, and enhance their overall well-being.
Interventions
OTHERhypo-pressive exercise
Exercise is performed 3 times per week for 6 weeks with moderate intensity for 20 min/session which includes diaphragmatic breathing, apnea, postural alignment (standing, seated, kneeling), and pelvic floor co-activation).
OTHERpelvic floor muscle training
Exercise is performed 3 times per week for 6 weeks with submaximal voluntary contraction (include both slow holds and quick flicks) for 20 min/session (each session includes multiple sets of 8 repetitions, hold for 5 seconds, with rest intervals). These Kegel exercises are performed in different positions.
Sponsors
Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
20 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Women aged between 20 and 40 years old * Multiparous women * Postpartum women ≤ 6 months. * Vaginal deliveries. * Women diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence within 6 weeks to six months
Exclusion criteria
* Neurological disorder * Metabolic issue * Abdominal and pelvic surgery in previous years * Mentally retarded * Pregnant women
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms severity | 6 weeks | Symptom severity due to SUI will assessed by International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Urinary Incontinence short form (ICIQUI-SF) is a standardized, validated, self-administered questionnaire used to assess the severity of urinary incontinence (UI), influence quality of life, and situational triggers of leakage. It consists of four items: frequency of urine leakage, amount of urine leakage, overall impact of UI on daily life (rated on a 0-10 scale), and a self-diagnostic item asking when urine leaks (non-scored). The ICIQ-UI-SF showed a Cronbach's alpha value from 0.7 to 0.8, representing good internal consistency |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Incontinence Quality of life | 6 weeks | Incontinence Quality of life (I-QOL) is a self-assessment tool that is repeatedly utilized in people with UI. The 22-item I-QOL has three subscales: social embarrassment (SE), psychosocial impact (PSI), and avoidance and limiting behaviors (ALB). It based on Likert scale which comprises of five point, i.e. 1=always, 2=often, 3=sometimes, 4=rarely and 5=never. The IQOL showed a Cronbach's alpha value was 0.96, representing good internal consistency. |
Countries
Pakistan
Outcome results
None listed