J Gynecol Oncol | Volume 4, Issue 5 | Research Article | Open Access
Chaiyawat P1*, Karki A1, Wattanannon P1, Nepal B1 and Asumpinwong C2
1Department of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University, Thailand
2Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mahidol University, Thailand
*Correspondance to: Pakaratee Chaiyawat
Fulltext PDFAims: To compare the effectiveness of 8 weeks home-based functional approach and Kegel exercise on Quality of Life (QOL), severity of incontinence, leakage volume, frequency of micturition and sagittal stabilization in postnatal Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Twenty-four participants were enrolled and randomized into either functional approach group or Kegel exercise group. QOL score, incontinence severity, leakage volume, frequency of micturition and sagittal stability were compared at baseline and after 8 weeks of home-based intervention. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to identify within-group and between groups differences, respectively. Result: Statistically significant differences were observed in general health perception (p=0.028), role limitation (p=0.012), physical limitation (p=0.021), sleep/energy (p=0.005), incontinence severity (p=0.006) domain of KHQ and sagittal stability (p<0.001) between the two groups. The result showed statistically significant differences in all the domains of KHQ, except in personal relationship in the functional approach group, whereas, in the Kegel exercise group, significant difference was not seen in general health perception, personal relationship and sleep/energy domain of KHQ. There were statistically significant differences in severity of incontinence (p=0.034), leakage volume (p=0.024), frequency of micturition (p=0.016) and sagittal stability (p=0.006) within the functional approach group but no significant differences were observed within the Kegel exercise group. Conclusion: The home-based functional approach is superior to Kegel exercise in improving QOL and SUI symptoms. Therefore, functional approach could be the preferred intervention for postnatal SUI in home-based exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pelvic floor muscle training; Quality of life; Postnatal stress urinary incontinence; Kegel exercise; home-based exercise; COVID-19 pandemic
Chaiyawat P, Karki A, Wattanannon P, Nepal B, Asumpinwong C. Effect of Home-Based Functional Approach vs. Kegel Exercise on Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Postnatal Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Gynecol Oncol. 2021; 4(5): 1069.