The Effects of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Combined with Core Stability Exercise on Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence following the Treatment of Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain

Abstract

Aim. To compare the combined effects of core stability exercise and pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) with the effects of PFME alone on women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) who experience nonspecific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP). Methods. A stratified randomized controlled trial study (RCT) was conducted with 50 women with SUI who experienced LBP, aged 18-60 years and with pad weight ≥2 grams for the one-hour pad test. The respondents were divided into two groups: the intervention group (PFME + core stability exercise) and the control group (PFME). The primary outcomes were the amount and frequency of urine leakage, which were measured using the one-hour pad test and the Bengali-ISI subjective questionnaire. A secondary outcome was quality of life (QoL), which was measured using King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ). An ITT analysis was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA (2 × 2) with Bonferroni's post-hoc analysis. Results/Preliminary Findings. The findings illustrated that 72% (n = 18) of the intervention and 28% (n = 7) of the control group participants showed improvement in UI after 12 weeks of intervention. In addition, the amount and frequency of urine leakage significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p≤0.001). Conclusion. The RCT-illustrated improvement of SUI in women with nonspecific chronic low back pain, reduction of frequency, and improvement of the QoL were more evident from PFME with core stability exercise than from PFME alone.