Does trunk muscle training with an oscillating rod improve urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy? A...

To investigate the effect of a new therapeutic approach, using an oscillating rod to strength the pelvic floor and deep abdominal musculature and to speed up recovery of continence after radical prostatectomy.

Prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.

Inpatient uro-oncology rehabilitation clinic.

Ninety-three (intervention group (IG)) and ninety-one patients (control group (CG)) with urinary incontinence after prostatectomy were examined.

All patients were randomly allocated to either standard pelvic floor muscle exercises and oscillating rod therapy (IG) or standard pelvic floor muscle exercises and relaxation therapy (CG).

Urinary incontinence (1- and 24-hour pad test) was assessed, and health-related quality of life (HRQL; Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) questionnaire) was measured for all patients before and after three weeks of treatment.

One hundred and eighty-four patients (mean (SD) age: 64.1 (6.94) years) completed the study. The IG showed a significant reduction in urinary incontinence (1-hour pad test: P = 0.008, 24-hour pad test: P = 0.012) and a significant improvement of HRQL (P = 0.017) compared with CG. Continence was significantly improved in both groups (1-hour pad test: 22.6-8.5 g (IG) vs. 23.0-18.1 g (CG)/24-hour pad test: 242.9-126.7 g (IG) vs. 237.6-180.9 g (CG)).

The study demonstrated that a combination of conventional continence exercises and the new oscillation rod training increased abdominal and pelvic floor musculature and speeded up recovery of continence after radical prostatectomy.