Observation of the Therapeutic Effect of Ankle Fascia Manipulation on Urinary Incontinence

AIMS: To investigate the association between a standardized ankle fascial manipulation protocol and improvements in symptoms and quality of life for patients with urinary incontinence (UI). METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the clinical records of 81 patients (aged 30-75) with stress, urgency, or mixed UI who completed a standardized intervention. The protocol consisted of 16 sessions of ankle fascial manipulation over 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) score and 24-h pad test volume. Secondary outcomes included the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ). Assessments were performed at baseline, 8 weeks, and a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed. The mean ICIQ-SF score decreased from 14.3 ± 3.2 to 6.8 ± 2.9 (p < 0.001), and the 24-h pad test volume reduced by 63.7% (p < 0.001). Patients with stress UI demonstrated the greatest reduction in leakage (72.4%), compared to urgency (54.8%) and mixed (61.3%) UI (p = 0.023). Quality of life improved significantly, with the mean total KHQ score decreasing from 65.3 to 31.8 (p < 0.001). Improvements were largely maintained at the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Ankle fascial manipulation was associated with significant improvements in urinary incontinence symptoms and quality of life, particularly for stress UI. These findings suggest it may be a promising complementary therapy. Rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm efficacy and investigate underlying mechanisms.