title: Urinary incontinence and prostate cancer: a progressive rehabilitation program design.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To design and implement a rehabilitation program based on pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to improve the urinary incontinence (UI).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is based on a randomized clinical trial. The sample was formed by 66 participants with prostate cancer. The intervention groups were randomized into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). The variables studied are: waist perimeter, variables related to the evolution of UI, muscular strength, and quality of life (QoL). Measurements were taken in order to evaluate changes in both groups. A statistical analysis was conducted using the Student-Fisher t-test, the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and the chi-square test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After 24 weeks an improvement was identified in the EG compared with the CG, in waist perimeter (p≤.001), variables related to the UI symptom, intensity, frequency, difficulty and limitation of activity (p≤.0001). A correlation between UI and QoL was observed (p=.039).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The improvement in QoL is mediated indirectly by the improvement in the UI symptom.
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Infermeria, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Bernat-Carles Ferrer
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Serdà
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcos-Gragera
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology* / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: Urinary incontinence; exercise; pelvic floor muscle training; prostate cancer; quality of life