The effect of Kegel exercises and pelvic floor physiotherapy on the improvements of stress urinary incontinence and urge incontinence in women with normal vaginal delivery

Abstract

Objectives: Pregnancy and normal vaginal delivery, are the main risk factors for urinary incontinence in women. A variety of treatments such as bladder training and pelvic floor exercises are effective for urinary incontinence. This interventional study has been conducted to compare the influence of Kegel exercises and pelvic floor physiotherapy on the improvements of urge and stress incontinence in women with first or second singleton pregnancies who have experienced normal vaginal delivery. Methods: One hundred fifty women with urinary incontinence in the postpartum period, who were divided randomly into 3 groups of 50 patients, participated in this prospective interventional study. The women were primigravida or it was their second labor. None of them complained of urinary incontinence before pregnancy. All of them had a normal vaginal delivery. The first group included females who were asked to perform Kegel exercises. The second group had 8 weekly physiotherapy appointments. The control group, included mothers who received routine care. We compared the prevalence of urge and stress incontinence between groups. Results: We found that the relative risk of urge and stress incontinence among mothers in the control group was more than in the intervention groups, but this difference was only statistically significant in the subject of stress incontinence between the Kegel and control groups. The reduction of urge incontinence prevalence among mothers in the Kegel and physiotherapy groups, was more than control group, although this reduction was not significant. Conclusion: There is a significant decrease in the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence at the end of the 8th and 12th weeks postpartum compared to the control group. Although the prevalence of urge incontinence among women in intervention groups was lower than in the control group, it was not significant. It seems the effect of Kegel exercises and pelvic floor physiotherapy, in reducing stress incontinence at the end of the 8th week, is almost equal.