BACKGROUND:Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common health problem aff ecting women with a wide range of age. Although the pelvic fl oor muscles (PFM) exercise is the highly recommended fi rst-line treatment for SUI, its adherence is low. Recently, urinary incontinence is reported to have an association with high pelvic fl oor stiff ness. A PFM massage, more feasible than the PFM exercise, may have a positive eff ect on urinary incontinence symptoms. However, there are no previous studies published.
OBJECTIVE:This study examined the eff ects of self-massage (SM) to PFM on symptom of SUI among younger and middle-aged women.
METHODS:Multiple baseline design (N-of1 trial) was utilized. After 2 or more-weeks control period, all participants (N=34) were asked to conduct SM to PFM once a day, 5 days a week, for 6-9 weeks. All instructions and survey were conducted via web and e-mails. As a primary outcome, self-reported symptoms of urinary incontinence were examined with International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) at the beginning of research, and baseline, every two weeks during and after intervention. For single case design, Percentage of Non-overlapping Data (PND) was calculated. Friedman's test was performed for the pre-post single arm design.
RESULTS:About 35% of participants visually improved ICIQ-SF score after intervention period (PND ≥ 70%) whereas 65% showed no or deleterious change (PND < 70%). Median ICIQ-SF scores were signifi cantly increased after control period and signifi cantly decreased over time during intervention period.
CONCLUSION:The present fi ndings suggest the SM to PFM may be conducted safely and feasibly, and have some possibilities to improve symptom of SUI.
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