Evaluating the performance of pelvic floor exercises in women with urinary incontinence

To evaluate the strength of pelvic floor muscles in women with urinary incontinence and to evaluate relief of symptoms using biofeedback therapy.

Women complaining of urinary incontinence and reporting the ability to perform pelvic floor exercises participated in this 4-week clinical trial. Participants underwent evaluation with objective measurement, using a biofeedback software package. The degree of pelvic floor muscle isolation was measured at the initial visit, and participants were given a pelvic floor exercise regimen to continue at home. After 4 weeks, the participants underwent a second evaluation. The ratio of pelvic floor to rectal muscle use was calculated as an index used to determine if the exercises were performed correctly. Participants also rated their improvement in urinary incontinence on a 10-point scale.

Twenty women completed the trial. The subjects' mean age was 62.85 +/- 8.89 years. Fifteen women (75.0%) performed the exercises correctly during the initial evaluation, and 5 performed them incorrectly. Four of these 5 subsequently performed them correctly after biofeedback teaching. The mean self-reported degree of urinary incontinence improvement was 6.6 (+/- 1.31) and rangedfrom 5 to 9. Six (40%) women reported no incontinence episodes during the trial.

The majority of study participants reported improved bladder function after participating in a session of biofeedback training. Training objectively improved pelvicfloor exercises in the cohort who performed them incorrectly and improved urinary incontinence in the majority of subjects.