Effect of acupressure in treating urodynamic stress incontinence: a randomized controlled trial

The efficacy of acupressure therapy in managing urodynamic stress incontinence has not been fully investigated. This study evaluates the effects of a validated acupressure protocol for treating women with urodynamic stress incontinence. A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled trial with a before-and-after study design was conducted. Eighty-one women aged between 18 and 60 were recruited at a urogynecology clinic in an acute hospital in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (acupressure) group, a sham group, or a usual care (control) group. A validated acupressure protocol was employed in the intervention group. The intervention comprised three weekly sessions of 30 minutes each for a total of thirty sessions. Outcome measures included pelvic floor muscle strength, number of episodes of urine leakage over four days, self-reported severity of urine leakage, and responses on the Chinese version of the King's Health Questionnaire. No adverse effects were reported. Five percent of the participants dropped out of the study. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted, the results indicated significant differences in pelvic floor muscle strength across the three groups (H =7.05, p =0.03) and in self-reported severity of urine leakage between the intervention and control groups (Z = -2.48, p = 0.01). Significant improvement in all domains of the Chinese version of the King's Health Questionnaire was evident in the intervention group. Acupressure is a simple and non-invasive intervention that appears to have positive physiological and psychological effects on women with urodynamic stress incontinence. The findings support acupressure as an intervention option for managing urodynamic stress incontinence in women.