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Pelvic Floor Muscle Training vs. Pilates Exercises for Urinary Incontinence
Sponsor: Universidade Estadual do Norte do Parana
Summary
Urinary incontinence (UI) affects approximately 40% of postmenopausal women and is therefore considered a public health problem. Conservative treatment is recommended, and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is considered the gold standard for this condition. However, other exercise options have been studied, such as Pilates exercises, which focus on stabilizing muscles and require voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. The literature remains inconclusive regarding the effects of Pilates exercises on urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle function. Objective: To compare the effects of 3 months of muscle training, through PFMT and Pilates exercises, on improving UI in postmenopausal women. Methods: Twenty-four postmenopausal women with urinary incontinence will be randomized into two intervention groups: pelvic floor muscle training and mat Pilates exercises. Assessments will be conducted before and after three months of intervention and will include the following instruments: urinary incontinence and quality of life, assessed using the International Consultation of Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) questionnaire; a 7-day voiding diary to identify potential modifiable factors related to urination and its frequency; a Pad test to identify and quantify UI; the Female Sexual Function Index to assess female sexual function; and pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance by bidigital palpation using the PERFECT test. Shapiro-Wilk tests will be used to assess normality, Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test according to parametric or nonparametric distribution, and ANCOVA will be used to compare groups post-intervention, considering a 95% confidence interval (p\<0.05). Data will be processed using SPSS 25.0.
Official title: Comparison Between Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Pilates Exercises for Postmenopausal Women With Urinary Incontinence
Key Details
Gender
FEMALE
Age Range
50 Years - 70 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
24
Start Date
2025-09-29
Completion Date
2025-12-26
Last Updated
2025-10-08
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
PFMT
O PFMT consistirá em 10 contrações voluntárias máximas que devem ser mantidas por pelo menos 6 segundos. Os participantes serão incentivados a sustentar a contração máxima por um tempo maior a cada semana. O intervalo entre as contrações será de segundos. Os participantes realizarão 4 séries de 10 contrações e, ao final de cada série de 10 contrações, serão realizadas cinco contrações rápidas. Cada série será realizada em uma posição: deitado em decúbito lateral; sentado; de quatro apoios e em pé.
Pilates exercises
The Pilates group will perform 10 solo exercises, containing stretching and strengthening for the main muscle groups, with a single series of 10 repetitions.
Locations (1)
Laís Campos de Oliveira
Jacarezinho, Paraná, Brazil