Pelvic floor muscle training in the prevention and treatment of urinary incontinence in women – what is the evidence?

Brostrøm S, Lose G

Many women suffer from urinary incontinence (UI). During and after pregnancy, women are advised to perform pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to prevent the development of UI. In established UI, PFMT is prescribed routinely as first-line treatment. This article argues that previous studies lack validity and that the available evidence suggests a lack of long-term efficacy of peripartum PFMT. In established UI, there seems to be a modest immediate response to PFMT. They suggest that a critical reappraisal of PFMT is needed, and judgments on the place of PFMT in current clinical practice should be reserved until further evidence, including cost-benefit analyses, has unequivocally demonstrated a clinically relevant efficacy.

Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2008, 87(4), 384-402

Link to Abstract

Related posts:

1. Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment for urinary incontinence in women. A Cochrane systematic review.
2. The development of an Incontinence Treatment Motivation Questionnaire for patients undergoing pelvic floor physiotherapy in the treatment of stress incontinence.
3. An alternative intervention for urinary incontinence: Retraining diaphragmatic, deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscle coordinated function
4. Electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor versus vaginal cone therapy for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence
5. Pelvic floor muscle training with biofeedback and bladder training in elderly women: a feasibility study.