Adherence to pelvic floor muscle exercise and long-term effect on stress urinary incontinence. A five-year follow-up study.
The purpose of this investigation was to study adherence to exercise, pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function and strength and patient satisfaction 5 years after cessation of organized PFM exercise for stress urinary incontinence. All 23 women who had taken part in an "intensive exercise group" in a randomized trial 5 years ago participated in the follow-up study. Structured interview, vaginal palpation and vaginal squeeze pressure were used to assess the condition, PFM function and muscle strength, respectively. Seventy percent of the women were exercising the PFM once a week or more often. Two women were not able to correctly contract the PFM. Mean PFM strength was 18.1 cm H2O. Three had undergone surgery since the initial study. Sixty-one percent were satisfied with their condition.
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Department of Biology and Sport Medicine, Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education, Oslo.
D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000628:therapy*