title: Effects of Stabilization Exercises Focusing on Pelvic Floor Muscles on Low Back Pain and Urinary Incontinence in Women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of stabilization exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscles on both low back pain (LBP) and urinary incontinence (UI) in women suffering from chronic nonspecific LBP.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a randomized clinical trial, 60 women, ranging from 45 to 60 years old, with chronic nonspecific LBP and stress UI were recruited. They were randomly assigned to the control group (n = 30) that received routine physiotherapy modalities and regular exercises, or the training group (n = 30) that received routine physiotherapy modalities and stabilization exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscle (12 weeks). Clinical characteristics of the study subjects including UI intensity and quality of life assessed by International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form questionnaire, functional disability assessed by Oswestry disability index scores, pain intensity, pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance, and transverses abdominis muscle strength were measured before and after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Functional disability and pain intensity were significantly decreased in control (P < .05) and training groups (P < .05), with no significant difference between the groups after treatment. However, UI intensity was smaller for the training group (P < .05). Pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance, and transverses abdominis muscle strength were statistically increased in the training group compared with those in the control group (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stabilization exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscle improves stress UI as well as LBP in women with chronic nonspecific LBP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghaderi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Khadijeh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mohammadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amir Sasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niko Kheslat
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Electronic address: eterafoskouei@tbzmed.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ali E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Oskouei
mesh_terms: D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017773:Pelvic Floor; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000628:therapy*