Can quality of life be improved by pelvic floor muscle training in women with urinary incontinence after ischemic stroke? A randomised, controlled and blinded study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic floor muscle training in women with urinary incontinence after ischemic stroke measured by quality of life (QoL) parameters. Three hundred thirty-nine medical records of stroke patients were searched. Twenty-six subjects were randomised to a Treatment Group or a Control Group in a single blinded, randomised study design. The intervention included 12 weeks of standardised pelvic floor muscle training. The outcome was measured by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey Questionnaire and The Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ). Twenty-four subjects completed the study. The SF-36 and IIQ did not show significant difference between the two groups. Despite the high prevalence of stroke with urinary incontinence, it is difficult to include these patients in such studies. The samples were too small to detect any significant differences. Development of specific instruments for QoL in stroke patients with urinary incontinence can be recommended.