Impact of pelvic floor muscle training on the quality of life in women with urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training on the quality of life (QOL) in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS Prospective clinical trial with 36 women with a diagnosis of SUI confirmed by urodynamic study. Women with neuromuscular diseases, using hormone replacement therapy, and with prolapse stage III and IV were not included. The exercise protocol for the PFM consisted of slow contractions (tonic fibers), followed by rapid contractions (phasic fibers) practiced in the supine, sitting, and standing positions, three times a week for a period of three months. We evaluated the impact of PFM on QOL using the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), a voiding diary, and digital palpation to assess the function of the PFMs during the initial evaluation and after three months of treatment. The result was described as means and standard deviations. We used the Wilcoxon test for comparison of the KHQ scores for paired samples, and the significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS There was a significant decrease in the mean scores of the domains assessed by the KHQ regarding the perception of health, impact of the incontinence, limitations of daily activities, physical limitations, social limitations, personal relationships, emotions, sleep/disposition, and measures of severity. In agreement with these results, significant decrease in nocturnal urinary frequency and urinary incontinence, as well as significant increase in muscle strength and endurance were observed. CONCLUSION PFM training resulted in significant improvement in the QOL of women with SUI.