The effect of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Training on Urinary Incontinence in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Urinary incontinence affects various aspects of daily life of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and remains negative effects on their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pelvic floor muscle training on urinary incontinence in patients with MS. It was a quasi-experimental, before-after clinical trial. The sample consisted of 50 MS patients with urinary incontinence admitted to MS clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran who had been selected by convenience sampling method. The patients were taught how to perform pelvic floor muscle exercise and performed the exercises for three consecutive months. The patients completed ICIQ-UI SF questionnaire before the intervention and at the end of the third month. Data was analysed by descriptive statistics, paired t-test, Wilcoxon, McNemar and ANOVA using SPSS-PC (v.16). A total of 45 patients continued to participate in the trial until the end of the third month. There were significant differences between the frequency of urinary leakage, urine leakage and incontinence impact on quality of life before and after training were (P <0. 001). According to the findings, pelvic floor muscle training reduces urinary incontinence of patients with MS. Accordingly teaching pelvic floor muscle exercise as a non-pharmacologic, non-invasive and low cost intervention to control urinary incontinence is recommended for these patients.