The Prevalence and Association of Stress Urinary Incontinence, Core Muscle Endurance, and Low Back Pain among Married Women in Saudi Arabia: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Purpose. There may be a strong association among stress urinary incontinence (SUI), low back pain (LBP), and core muscle endurance (CME) in married women. This study is aimed at evaluating the prevalence and clinical association between SUI, CME, and LBP among married women in Saudi Arabia. Methods. The study was based on a case-control research design, conducted among 143 women with LBP (mean age, $32\pm 7.4$ years) and 160 healthy women (mean age, $31.7\pm 6.7$ years). SUI, CME, and functional disability were assessed using the international consultation on the Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), prone plank test (PP), and Oswestry Disability Index for LBP-United Arab Emirates edition (ODI-UAE). Results. The prevalence of SUI was found to be 60% in the LBP group while 20% in the control group. CME revealed a stronger negative correlation with SUI in the LBP group ( $r_{\text{s}}=-0.75$ ) than in the control group ( $r_{\text{s}}=-0.63$ ). Conclusions. The prevalence of SUI was observed higher in women with LBP than healthy women. CME exhibited a stronger association with SUI than LBP among women with LBP compared to healthy women in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the role of CME in SUI development or vice versa among married women with LBP may be subjected to further research.