Urinary incontinence and prostate cancer: a progressive rehabilitation program design

• Published in: Rehabilitation nursing Vol. 39; no. 6; p. 271
• Main Authors: Serdà, Bernat-Carles Ferrer, Marcos-Gragera, Rafael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2014
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Program Development; Program Evaluation; Prostatectomy - adverse effects; Prostatectomy - nursing; Prostatectomy - rehabilitation; Prostatic Neoplasms - nursing; Prostatic Neoplasms - surgery; Treatment Outcome; Urinary Incontinence - etiology; Urinary Incontinence - nursing; Urinary Incontinence - rehabilitation; Urinary incontinence; exercise; prostate cancer; quality of life; pelvic floor muscle training
• ISSN: 0278-4807
• DOI: 10.1002/rnj.110

To design and implement a rehabilitation program based on pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to improve the urinary incontinence (UI). This study is based on a randomized clinical trial. The sample was formed by 66 participants with prostate cancer. The intervention groups were randomized into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). The variables studied are: waist perimeter, variables related to the evolution of UI, muscular strength, and quality of life (QoL). Measurements were taken in order to evaluate changes in both groups. A statistical analysis was conducted using the Student-Fisher t-test, the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and the chi-square test. After 24 weeks an improvement was identified in the EG compared with the CG, in waist perimeter (p≤.001), variables related to the UI symptom, intensity, frequency, difficulty and limitation of activity (p≤.0001). A correlation between UI and QoL was observed (p=.039). The improvement in QoL is mediated indirectly by the improvement in the UI symptom.