Comparison of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Extracorporeal Magnetic Innervation on Urinary Incontinence, Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength, and Quality of Life in Women With Urinary Incontinence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and extracorporeal magnetic innervation (ExMI) on urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle strength, and incontinence-specific quality of life in women with stress, urge, and mixed urinary incontinence. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 35 adult women with urinary incontinence (UI) who sought care in a urogynecology clinic in Turkey. Their mean age was 46.77 (SD = 8.88) years. Nineteen women were randomly allocated to a PFMT group and 16 women were allocated to an ExMI group. METHODS: Nineteen participants underwent PFMT for 12 weeks, while 16 underwent ExMI during 20-minute sessions 3 times a week, for 6 weeks. Outcomes (incontinence severity, pelvic floor muscle strength, and incontinence-specific quality of life) were measured in both groups at baseline and 6 and 12 weeks following initiation of the intervention. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons, and the Friedman test was used for within-group comparisons. Two-way repeated measure ANOVA was used to compare outcomes in the 2 groups over time. RESULTS: Analysis revealed significant improvements in incontinence severity, incontinence-related quality of life, and pelvic floor muscle strength of participants in both intervention groups. In contrast, no significant between-group differences were found. CONCLUSION: Pelvic floor muscle training and ExMI improve self-reported severity of incontinence, incontinence-specific quality of life, and pelvic floor muscle strength. This head-to-head comparison revealed no differences between the interventions for these outcomes.