Adding interferential current to pelvic floor exercises reduces weekly frequency of stress urinary incontinence

To compare the effects of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) stability exercises combined with interferential current (IFC) versus PFM exercises alone on clinical outcomes in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Thirty women with SUI were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 15, PFM exercises + active IFC) or a control group (n = 15, PFM exercises + placebo IFC). Both groups received supervised sessions 3 times/week for 4 weeks and educational pamphlets. Resting intravaginal pressure, average maximum intravaginal pressure, weekly incontinence frequency, ICIQ-UISF (severity), and I-QOL (quality of life) scores were measured before treatment and at 4 and 8 weeks post-treatment. The group-by-time interaction was significant only for weekly incontinence frequency (P = 0.01), favoring the intervention group. The main effect of time was significant for all other outcomes. Both groups showed statistically significant improvements (P < 0.001) from baseline in resting pressure, maximum pressure, ICIQ-UISF scores, and I-QOL scores at follow-ups. Adding interferential current (IFC) to stability exercises with pelvic floor muscle focus did not provide additional benefits for most outcomes. However, a significant group-by-time interaction was observed only for the frequency of urinary incontinence, suggesting that IFC may have a specific effect on reducing incontinence episodes.