Pelvic Muscle Re-education Research Articles

Continence nursing: a whole person approach.

Urinary incontinence has significant medical, social, psychologic, and economic implications. Continence management requires a sensitive, comprehensive, and holistic approach that accounts for the many facets of this distressing and life-altering condition. Assessment of urinary incontinence includes a focused physical examination, comprehensive history, and accounting for factors that can impact continence, such as cognition, functional ability, and impact on quality of life. Behavioral therapy for incontinence includes diet modification, toileting programs, bladder retraining, and pelvic muscle re-education. Biofeedback and electrical stimulation are treatment modalities that help clients to identify, recruit, and strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improve treatment outcomes. Other approaches include medications and devices, such as a pessary.

A long-term study of patient outcomes with pelvic muscle re-education for urinary incontinence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of continence, satisfaction, and compliance with a maintenance pelvic muscle exercise program 12 months or more after discharge from a clinician-supervised pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation program. Setting and subjects: Forty-nine female patients diagnosed with stress, urge, and mixed etiology urinary incontinence were treated with pelvic muscle re-education and biofeedback. Treatment was performed in a urology clinic setting with sessions supervised by a registered nurse. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all female patients trained in pelvic muscle exercises from March 1997 through November 1997. Telephone interviews were conducted and questionnaires were administered to determine long-term efficacy of and compliance with pelvic muscle exercises 13 to 20 months after treatment. Results: Fifty-three percent of patients maintained their posttreatment level of continence, and 38% had improved when evaluated 13 to 20 months following treatment (X̄ = 16.6 months). Sixty-nine percent continued to perform pelvic muscle exercises once weekly or several times per week. Conclusions: Clinician-supervised pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation is effective in improving stress and urge incontinence in community-dwelling women with stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence. This effect is durable for a period of 16 months, and the majority of women continue to perform pelvic muscle exercises one or more times per week. (J WOCN 2001;28:199-205.)

A Long-term Study of Patient Outcomes With Pelvic Muscle Re-education for Urinary Incontinence

A Long-term Study of Patient Outcomes With Pelvic Muscle Re-education for Urinary Incontinence

Principles and options for pelvic muscle reeducation

Principles and options for pelvic muscle reeducation

Physical therapy for female pelvic floor disorders

Non-surgical, non-pharmacological treatment for female pelvic floor dysfunction is represented by rehabilitation in urogynecology. Since Kegel, in 1948, who proposed the concept of functional restoration of the perineal muscles, no specific term has actually been established. Owing to the number of specialists involved in the management of female pelvic floor disorders (such as gynecologists, urologists, coloproctologists, and neurologists) and the different types of health care providers concerned (such as physicians, physical therapists, nurses, and midwives), it is difficult to make the proper choice between 'physical therapy for pelvic floor', 'pelvic floor rehabilitation', 'pelvic muscle re-education', and 'pelvic floor training'. Because muscle re-education is under the control of physical therapists, we have chosen the term of physical therapy for female pelvic floor disorders. Muscle re-education has an important role in the primary treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction. A multidisciplinary collaboration may be of particular interest, and a thorough evaluation is useful for a proper selection of patients.