Self-monitoring and pelvic floor muscle exercises to treat urinary incontinence

Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common chronic condition among women. Treatment of UI can involve behavioral techniques, pharmacological strategies, or surgical intervention. Clinically, treatment strategies should start with the simplest and least invasive measures. To overcome the deficiencies in previous research and provide definitive information for clinical practice, a randomized clinical trial is currently underway. This clinical trial uses a pretest-posttest design to first determine the effectiveness of self-monitoring techniques before subjects are randomized into one of two treatment groups or an attentional control group with a 1-year followup. The study design, sampling plan, and interventions used in an ongoing clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of self-monitoring and efficacy of biofeedback to treat UI in women are described. Innovative techniques to assess adherence to the pelvic muscle exercise protocol are addressed.