UNASSIGNED: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a highly prevalent condition in women with a profound influence on their well-being and quality of life. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is a widely accepted conservative management of incontinence. Adequate knowledge of PFMT can enhance the ability of individuals to perform them effectively unsupervised.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of UI and knowledge of PFMT among older women in a selected suburban community in Nigeria.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional design.
UNASSIGNED: This study consecutively recruited 121 older women (65 years and above) with a mean age of 68.59 ± 4.94 years in Nnewi North LGA Anambra state, Nigeria. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form and an adopted pre-tested questionnaire were used to assess the prevalence of UI and knowledge of PFMT. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 Descriptive statistics, and the chi-square test was utilized with significance determined at an alpha level of 0.05.
UNASSIGNED: The results revealed that 33.88% of the respondents experience UI, and 3.3% of them have heard about PFMT. There was significant association between prevalence of UI and number of pregnancies (χ2 = 11.16, p = 0.03) and children (χ2 = 9.77, p = 0.04). There was no significant association between the prevalence of UI and level of education (χ2 = 4.20, p = 0.12) and knowledge of PFMT (χ2 = 0.48, p = 0.42). There was no significant association between knowledge of PFMT and number of pregnancies (χ2 = 04.25, p = 0.37), and number of children (χ2 = 4.02, p = 0.40). There was a significant association between knowledge of PFMT and level of education among the participants (χ2 = 7.46, p = 0.02).
UNASSIGNED: The study showed a significant prevalence of UI and poor knowledge of PFMT in older women. Health professionals should sensitize older women in hospitals and care homes on the benefits of PFMT to improve their knowledge of PFMT.

Radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy are common first-line treatments for clinically localized prostate cancer. Despite advances in surgical technology and multidisciplinary management, post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence (PPI) remains a common clinical complication. The incidence and duration of PPI are highly heterogeneous, varying considerably between individuals. Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence may result from a combination of factors, including patient characteristics, lower urinary tract function, and surgical procedures. Physicians often rely on detailed medical history, physical examinations, voiding diaries, pad tests, and questionnaires-based symptoms to identify critical factors and select appropriate treatment options. Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence treatment can be divided into conservative treatment and surgical interventions, depending on the severity and type of incontinence. Pelvic floor muscle training and lifestyle interventions are commonly conservative strategies. When conservative treatment fails, surgery is frequently recommended, and the artificial urethral sphincter remains the \"gold standard\" surgical intervention for PPI. This review focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of PPI, based on the most recent clinical research and recommendations of guidelines, including epidemiology and risk factors, diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies, aimed at presenting a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in this field and assisting doctors in providing personalized treatment options for patients with PPI.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is an involuntary leakage of urine and is classified as stress, mixed, or urge. It is more common in females due to anatomical and physiological body differences. Moreover, the literature remarks an evident presence of UI with high-intensity physical activities. Therefore, the present integrative systematic review focused on the studies aimed at investigating the prevalence of UI in nulliparous sportswomen, studies illustrating sport-specific prevalence of UI, and studies demonstrating the impact of physical therapy intervention on UI. A literature search was carried out systematically on electronic databases consisting of Cochrane and Google Scholar databases from 2018 to December 2023. The keywords utilized to perform the literature search and include relevant articles consisted of \"urinary incontinence,\" AND \"nulliparous,\" AND \"sportswomen,\" OR \"female athletes,\" AND \"physical therapy\". A total of nine studies were included in the present systematic review. The quality assessment of the studies was performed by using a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR 2) scale, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used for cross-sectional and randomized controlled trial studies. The data extracted included first author and year of publication, study design, sample or number of individuals involved in the study, age range of the participants, type of UI, type of sports involved, purpose of the study, methodological part, outcome measures derived, conclusion, and quality assessment of the studies. The review concluded that nulliparous athletes, especially those participating in high-impact activities, have a significant prevalence of UI. In addition, the physical therapy intervention consisting of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) along with education about pertinent pelvic anatomy was mostly performed on female athletes for the prevention and management of UI.

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that combination therapy would provide a synergistic effect to improve treatment outcomes for overactive bladder (OAB), thus enhancing the motivation for continuous exercise, and that it would be associated with fewer adverse events than monotherapy. Therefore, we investigated whether biofeedback-assisted pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), drug therapy, or a combination of both would be more effective in improving the symptoms of OAB.
METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included women diagnosed with OAB. Group 1 received biofeedback-assisted pelvic muscle floor training (PFMT) for 12 weeks; group 2 took 5 mg of solifenacin/day for 12 weeks; and group 3 received 5 mg of solifenacin/day in combination with biofeedback-assisted PFMT during the first 4 weeks and biofeedback-assisted PFMT for another 8 weeks. All participants had 5 follow-up visits. The primary outcomes were objective improvement of OAB symptoms and quality of life. The secondary outcomes were treatment-related adverse events, subjective improvement of OAB symptoms, and electromyographic activity of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction.
RESULTS: All participants reported significant improvement of OAB symptoms and quality of life. Participants in group 2 experienced more pronounced adverse events than those in group 3. Intervention duration was positively associated with subjective improvement in OAB symptoms in groups 2 and 3. Drug-related adverse events, including dry mouth, myalgia, and restlessness, had a negative impact on the subjective improvement of OAB symptoms in group 2. In group 1, exercise adherence was positively correlated with subjective improvement of OAB symptoms, whereas in group 3, PFM contraction and biofeedback effect were positively correlated with symptom improvement.
CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy is efficacious in treating women with OAB.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of a group-based pelvic floor muscle training for pregnant women in China and facilitate women\'s adherence to the pelvic floor muscle training programme.
BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence is a prevalent health problem in women worldwide, especially in pregnant women. Supervised pelvic floor muscle training is recommended as the first-line conservative treatment for urinary incontinence. However, the implementation and effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training are limited by insufficient human resources and low adherence. Group-based interventions may improve people\'s adherence to interventions by facilitating peer support. However, it has been investigated in a limited number of maternity studies.
METHODS: Feasibility testing randomized controlled trial, accompanied by a mixed methods process evaluation.
METHODS: This study was guided by the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions and the Behaviour Change Wheel guide to developing interventions. A three-phase, mixed-methods design was used in this study. This study reported the feasibility of the group-based pelvic floor muscle training programme. Semi-structured reviews were conducted following the intervention to explore the acceptability of the programme.
RESULTS: The study included 48 pregnant women with a recruitment rate of 52.17%. The adherence rate to the training programme was 66.67%. The intervention was positively valued, in particular the support promoting participants\' adherence, but additional changes need to be made to the programme for a future trial.
CONCLUSIONS: Group-based pelvic floor muscle training programme provides a possible way of delivering pelvic floor muscle training with limited health professionals in China. The study showed promising results concerning the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention, which were well perceived by both pregnant women and the midwife.
CONCLUSIONS: Group-based pelvic floor muscle training may have the potential of reducing the prevalence of urinary incontinence in pregnant women with insufficient healthcare professionals.
CONCLUSIONS: This study assessed the feasibility of delivering group-based pelvic floor muscle training in pregnant women in China. The group-based pelvic floor muscle training is acceptable to both pregnant women and the midwife, but integrating online and face-to-face sessions need to be considered. The findings of this study provided evidence for delivering group-based pelvic floor muscle training to pregnant women in China.
UNASSIGNED: The study has adhered to CONSORT guidelines (Table S1) and TIDier checklist (Table S2).
UNASSIGNED: The patient and public have been invited as stakeholders during the development of the intervention. They worked with healthcare professionals to co-design the group-based pelvic floor muscle training programme.
BACKGROUND: The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05242809) under the title \'Development and Feasibility Testing of a Group-based PFMT Programme for Antenatal Women in Nanjing City in China\'.

UNASSIGNED: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is effectively managed through pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), yet poor adherence often undermines its efficacy. Given square dancing\'s popularity among middle-aged women, its integration with PFMT could potentially increase patient compliance. This study aims to investigate the impact of a hybrid program combining square dance and PFMT on SUI symptoms, quality of life, and treatment adherence in this demographic.
UNASSIGNED: Seventy-seven female participants from Luoyang were randomly allocated to an intervention group undergoing a 12-week program combining square dancing with PFMT, and two control groups receiving standard health advice or square dancing alone. Outcomes were assessed using subjective urinary incontinence rating, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the Urinary Incontinence Quality of Life Scale (I-QOL), and a PFMT diary for compliance. Satisfaction was scored on a 10-point scale.
UNASSIGNED: Participants (mean age: 53.35±5.11 years) did not differ significantly at baseline. Post-intervention, the intervention group showed significant improvements in SUI symptoms and quality of life compared to both control groups (P < 0.05), with higher compliance (96.54% vs 54.82% in control I) and satisfaction (8.86±0.85).
UNASSIGNED: Combining PFMT with square dancing significantly improved SUI symptoms, quality of life, and adherence among middle-aged women. Notably, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions during the 12-week intervention period, the communal and enjoyable nature of square dancing likely contributed to enhanced motivation and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Urinary Incontinence (UI) is a global health issue that mainly affects the female population worldwide. Different approaches have been sought for the management of UI including Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) using Virtual Reality (VR) gaming. We conducted this study to evaluate the effectiveness of VR gaming for rehabilitation of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and improving urinary symptoms in patients with UI.
METHODS: We\'ve included studies that contain any type of VR in all geographic locations and settings with no restrictions on the date of publication, age, or gender. Our exclusion criteria include reviews, case series, case reports, unextractable data, unavailable full text, abstract only articles, and studies don\'t show the effects of VR as a treatment for UI. A pre-specified search term was used and modified according to the requirements of each of the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Google scholar, and ScienceDirect. For risk of bias assessment, two assessment tools have been used: ROB 2.0 for RCTs and NIH for single arm studies.
RESULTS: Of 915 papers identified from 6 databases, 341 papers were assigned for screening after removing duplicates, 11 papers were eligible for full text screening, and 4 papers were finally included. The qualitative analysis of the results identifies six outcomes grouped into three primary categories: PFM, urinary symptoms, and quality of life. Only urinary loss outcome was eligible for meta-analysis. The net effect between Game therapy + PFMT and PFMT reached MD = -5.49, 95% CI [-12.36:1.38] (heterogeneity; I2 = 95%, p < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Our research underscores the potential of VR gaming as a valuable adjunctive therapy for pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation in patients with UI. However, further studies are needed to explore its long-term effectiveness, optimal therapy parameters, and cost-effectiveness.
BACKGROUND: Our protocol has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022384500).

OBJECTIVE: Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is effective at improving urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms; however, patients often cannot properly contract their pelvic floor muscles. We hypothesized that contraction of the gluteal muscles alone would have the same effect as PFMT on improving UI symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of gluteal muscles contraction alone with that of conventional PFMT at home for reducing UI symptoms in women.
METHODS: Sixty women 30-59 years in age who had stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were randomly assigned to the gluteal muscles training (GMT) group or the PFMT group. The participants in each group performed 3 min of training twice/day using a leaflet unsupervised at home during the 12-week intervention period. Three self-administered UI symptom measures (UI episodes/week, 1-h pad test, and the International Consultation of Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form score) were compared before the observation period (baseline) and at the 6th or 12th week of the intervention period.
RESULTS: Fifty women who completed the 12-week intervention period were analyzed. After the 12-week intervention period, the three UI symptom outcome measures significantly decreased compared with baseline in both groups (α < 0.05). The rate of improvement in UI symptoms (decrease of at least 50% in UI episodes/week and in the 1-h pad test compared with baseline) was 65.2% in the GMT group and 63.0% in the PFMT group, with no significant differences between the two groups (p = 0.898).
CONCLUSIONS: In unsupervised training using a leaflet at home, contraction of the gluteal muscles alone was shown to be as effective as conventional PFMT in reducing UI symptoms in women with SUI.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and synthesise what is known about the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical conservative interventions for the management of urinary incontinence (UI) experienced by women during physical exercise.
METHODS: A systematic search was performed in the following databases in September 2023: the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Studies were deemed eligible if population consisted of females who reported symptoms of UI while participating in physical exercise, and the interventions involved any non-pharmaceutical conservative treatment to manage symptoms during exercise. The primary outcome was severity of UI signs and symptoms. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO identifier: CRD42022379138).
RESULTS: Of the 3429 abstracts screened, 19 studies were retained. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and intravaginal devices were the most commonly investigated modalities. Only two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), both among volleyball players, compared PFMT with no PFM exercise, showing a reduction in pad weight gain after the intervention in the experimental groups only. PFMT with and without biofeedback randomised among soldiers demonstrated a reduction in the frequency of urine leakage episodes in both groups, while supervised and unsupervised PFMT randomised among athletes from different sports showed pad weight gain reduction in the supervised group only. Seven single-arm studies suggested that PFMT alone or combined with other modalities may reduce UI severity in active women based on questionnaires, bladder diaries, and self-reported symptoms. A single-arm and a crossover study found pessary use beneficial in reducing urine leakage based on questionnaires and pad weight gain, respectively. When comparing pessary, tampon, and no intervention, two repeated-measures studies found tampons may reduce leakage more than pessaries in CrossFit exercisers and women performing aerobic exercises. A vaginal sponge also reduced pad weight gain during aerobic exercises. Other modalities (i.e., an intraurethral device, photobiomodulation, and combined therapies) were investigated using case series or single case studies. While all interventions showed some evidence of effectiveness, the results must be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations and high risk of bias. In particular, despite a high reliance on pad tests as a primary outcome, we identified inconsistencies in how pad tests were administered and interpreted.
CONCLUSIONS: Only the effectiveness of PFMT to reduce urine leakage during exercise has been evaluated through RCTs, with some evidence of effectiveness. We identified a clear need for higher quality studies, with better reporting on the interventions, and more judicious use and interpretation of outcome measures.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biofeedback (BF) on the rehabilitation of children with nonneurological dysfunctional voiding (NDV).
METHODS: RCTs were retrieved from various databases (published from inception to February 29, 2024). The effects of the BF and non-BF treatments were compared. A random-effects model was used to evaluate the combined data.
RESULTS: Meta-analysis revealed that BF increased the maximum urinary flow rate (SMD = 3.78, 95% CI 1.33∼6.22), improved urination time (SMD = 5.88, 95% CI 3.75∼8.01), and reduced the postvoid residual (SMD = -19.18, 95% CI -27.03∼-11.33) and urinary tract infection incidence (RR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.21∼0.87). Electromyogram activity (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.25∼0.84) and abnormal urination patterns (RR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.35∼0.74) improved, with effects persisting for more than 1 year. However, the effect of BF on the mean urinary flow rate in children with NDV was significant only after 1 year of follow-up (SMD = 1.90, 95% CI 0.87∼2.92).
CONCLUSIONS: Existing evidence indicates that BF can enhance urinary parameters and patterns in children with NDV. However, its effectiveness in addressing constipation, daytime urinary incontinence, and nocturnal urinary incontinence is not substantial. High-quality randomized controlled trials can offer additional insights.