PurposeThe purpose of this review was to assess the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women, with a particular focus on the impact of this form of therapy on the patients’ quality of life (QoL).MethodsThe following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library (articles only in English, 1990–2017). Search terms were as follows: urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle training, pelvic floor exercises, quality of life. Systematic review methods were based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement.ResultsThe assessment of the impact of PFMT on the QoL of women with UI was conducted among 2,394 women in 24 selected studies. After the end of treatment, the majority of patients in the experimental groups noted a statistically significant improvement in QoL.ConclusionThe results of this literature review demonstrate that PFMT is an effective treatment for UI in women. PFMT significantly improves the QoL of women with UI, which is an important determinant of their physical, mental, and social functioning.

Objective. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training and extracorporeal magnetic innervation in treatment of urinary incontinence in women with stress urinary incontinence. Methods. The randomized controlled trial enrolled 128 women with stress urinary incontinence who were randomly allocated to either one out of two experimental groups (EG1 or EG2) or the control group (CG). Subjects in the experimental group 1 (EG1) received 12 sessions of pelvic floor muscle training, whereas subjects in the experimental group 2 (EG2) received 12 sessions of extracorporeal magnetic innervation. Subjects in the control group (CG) did not receive any therapeutic intervention. The following instruments were used to measure results in all study groups at the initial and final assessments: Revised Urinary Incontinence Scale (RUIS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ). Results. In both experimental groups, a statistically significant decline in depressive symptoms (BDI-II) and an improvement in urinary incontinence severity (RUIS) and quality of life (KHQ) were found in the following domains: “social limitations,” “emotions,” “severity measures,” and “symptom severity scale.” Moreover, self-efficacy beliefs (GSES) improved in the experimental group that received ExMI (EG2). No statistically significant differences were found between all measured variables in the control group. Comparative analysis of the three study groups showed statistically significant differences at the final assessment in the quality of life in the following domains: “physical limitations,” “social limitations,” “personal relationships,” and “emotions.” Conclusion. Pelvic floor muscle training and extracorporeal magnetic innervation proved to be effective treatment methods for stress urinary incontinence in women. The authors observed an improvement in both the physical and psychosocial aspects.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in men after radical prostatectomy (RP).MethodsPubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published in years 2000–2019. We included randomized controlled trials in English which compare clinic-based vs home-based PFMT, preoperative and postoperative PFMT, supervised vs unsupervised PFMT, and PFMT alone vs no treatment at all.ResultsEight articles were included in the final review. There was a total of 1078 patients aged 45–75 in all study groups. The study participants received radical retropubic prostatectomy or radical prostatectomy. Included studies assessed the following interventions: preoperative and postoperative PFMT, supervised vs home-based PFMT, unsupervised PFMT vs no treatment at all, and PFMT combined with resistance and flexibility exercises vs PFMT alone.ConclusionPFMT is an effective treatment for urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy. PFMT improves not only physical parameters but also the quality of life of men after RP.

IntroductionPeri- and postmenopausal women frequently suffer from urinary incontinence (UI). Generally, UI becomes more severe with age. It impacts physical, mental, and social functioning as well as the quality of life, often leading to depression. Extracorporeal magnetic innervation (ExMI) is a relatively new conservative treatment method for UI.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of ExMI in the treatment of stress UI in women.MethodsA total of 52 women were included in the analysis: 28 participants were allocated to the experimental group (EG) and 24 to the control group (CG). The average age was 65.41 years (±SD 4.08). EG patients completed ExMI therapy. The treatment sessions lasted for 15 minutes, and occurred three times a week, for 4 weeks. No therapeutic intervention was applied to the CG. To objectify the treatment outcomes in both groups before and after the treatment, we measured myostatin concentration and performed the UI severity assessment (The Revised Urinary Incontinence Scale), perceived self-efficacy assessment (General Self-Efficacy Scale), and depression severity assessment (Beck Depression Inventory).ResultsThe authors compared the EG results at the initial and final assessments and found a statistically significant improvement in severity of UI (P=0.001) and depression severity (P=0.006), and a decrease in myostatin concentration (P≤0.001). The authors did not find any statistically significant differences between all measured variables for the CG at the initial and final assessments. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences between all measured variables for the EG and the CG at the final assessment.ConclusionFurther trials are needed to determine optimal treatment protocols for various UI types and to evaluate long-term outcomes of the ExMI treatment.