Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 8

UROGYNECOLOGY

ORIGINAL RESEARCH n

Effect of Kegel Exercises on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms


in Young Gymnasts: A Prospective Cohort Study
Importance Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) have been shown to exist Celia Rodríguez-Longobardo, MSc,*
in young athletes. The use of pelvic floor muscle training as a preventive Amelia Guadalupe-Grau, PhD,†‡
strategy at an early age may be useful to avoid possible pelvic floor Miguel Ángel Gómez-Ruano, PhD,*
and Olga López-Torres, PhD§
dysfunction in the future.
Objectives The aim of the study was to describe LUTS in underaged
Author affiliations, Conflicts of Interest, and
gymnasts. We also aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week Kegel article information are provided at the end of
this article.
exercise intervention for LUTS and urinary incontinence (UI) and their
relationship to bother.
Study Design A quasi-experimental (nonrandomized, noncontrolled)
pre-post study was conducted. Nineteen gymnasts with a mean age of 13.
21 ± 1.84 were selected from a gymnastics club in Madrid, Spain. WHY THIS MATTERS
Outcomes of LUTS and quality of life were measured using the International Because of the lack of studies
Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract measuring lower urinary tract
symptoms (LUTS) in young ath-
Symptoms validated questionnaire at baseline and at the end of the 12-week
letes, we wanted to set the pre-
intervention. liminary basis for further studies
Results The participants presented with certain LUTS such as urgency UI and fill this gap in the literature. To
(57.7%) or stress UI (47.4%), which negatively affect their daily lives by our knowledge, this is the first
pelvic floor intervention study to
feeling annoyed in various aspects (when practicing gymnastics, getting up be conducted in underaged ath-
during the night to urinate or feeling bladder pain among others). No letes. Because of the high preva-
significant differences in LUTS and quality of life variables were observed lence on LUTS found already at
this early age, more studies are
after the exercise intervention ( P > 0.05).
needed to clarify the effects of
Conclusions A high prevalence of LUTS was observed in a sample of sports on pelvic floor structures.
underaged high-level gymnasts. The 12-week Kegel exercise intervention There is a need for a better un-
did not significantly reduce the presence of pelvic floor problems and even derstanding of pelvic floor muscle
training from coaches as a part of
intensified some of them, probably because of an increased awareness.
the physical preparation for ath-
Pelvic floor muscle training as a preventive strategy at an early age seems to letes, with them being the first link
be necessary to avoid possible pelvic floor dysfunction in the future. to prevent future problems and
improve the quality of life of their
Urogynecology 2023;00:00–00 trainees.
DOI: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001331

ower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is a global term, which encom-

L passes storage, voiding, and postmicturition urinary symptoms.1


When storage-related LUTS appear, they may indicate the occur-
rence of urinary incontinence (UI).2
Low muscle tone and strength of the pelvic floor can lead to UI or other
problems, such as pelvic organ prolapse. These disorders are included in
what is known as pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), which implies the mod-
erate to severe impairment of the musculature or involved neural structures Supplemental Digital Content

Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023 1

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
n ORIGINAL RESEARCH Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS

that can affect both the innervation of pelvic floor and degree of UI.18 The available literature shows that
muscles and their control.3 approximately 25% of the physically active young
Pelvic floor dysfunction is common in athletes, in women studied reported symptoms of UI and worse
particular UI, with studies showing a high prevalence,4 QoL than those who were continent, the prevalence of
especially in some disciplines, such as volleyball (30%), stress UI being higher in high-impact sports, which
aerobics (40%), or gymnastics (56%).5 Different stud- leads to decreased QoL in sportswomen.19,20
ies performed in athletes of different sports6 concluded There is little information on how high-impact
that high-impact activities are more related to urine sports affect continence and thus QoL in young nul-
leakage than low-impact activities, jumping being the liparous sportswomen. Therefore, the aims of the
activity most likely to provoke leakage5 and UI.7 present study were to describe LUTS in underaged
The prevalence of UI during sports among young gymnasts and to evaluate the effects of a 12-week
nulliparous elite athletes varies between 0% (golf ) and Kegel exercise intervention performed 3 times per week
80% (trampolinists).8 Gymnastics is a high for LUTS and UI and their relationship to bother.
strain-eliciting sport, which is thought to generate
ground reaction forces close to 10 times body mass in
prepubertal children.9 It may be possible that high MATERIALS AND METHODS
strenuous exercises during the prepuberty years in fe- A quasi-experimental (nonrandomized, noncontrolled)
males may affect future pelvic floor function due to pre-post study was conducted. Signed informed con-
both changes in hormones, weight and bone and mus- sent was obtained from the legal guardian of each par-
cle structures during this period, and an increased risk ticipant. The study was approved by Technical Uni-
of connective tissue injury.10 Olympic gymnasts are versity of Madrid (number 2022-038). The study is in
often younger than 24 years with a training history of accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World
more than 10 years.11 This fact implies that exposure of Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for ex-
gymnasts to prolonged and repeated high-impact periments involving humans and the European Data
practice may require an optimal tone and strength in Protection Regulation.
the pelvic floor muscles to counteract increases in the The hypothesis of this study was that the gymnasts,
abdominal pressure.8 Because of the youth of despite their young age, would present with LUTS due
the gymnasts (that often reach elite level while to the practice of gymnastics, affecting their QoL, and
underaged), implementing preventive programs that that the pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) protocol
include compensatory and strengthening exercises of would help improve these LUTS and QoL. Therefore,
the pelvic floor muscles may help reduce LUTS in this the primary outcome of this study was LUTS and
population, prevent future PFD, and ensure a healthy bother improvement.
transition into adulthood.
In particular, Kegel exercises have been proved as an
effective resource to train pelvic floor muscles and Sample Characteristics
prevent or reduce UI, consisting of voluntary tightening A sample size calculation was performed using
and relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor at different G*Power software (version 3.1, Düsseldorf,
rhythms and intensities in a cycle of several times.12,13 Germany),21 yielding a result of 57 participants. A
Specifically, several studies showed that using a Kegel sample of 19 gymnasts was obtained for this study,
exercise program during 8 to 16 weeks helps reduce UI which is similar to that used by previous PFMT inter-
in different populations.14–16 ventions carried out with young athletes.22–24 A par-
Urinary incontinence, especially stress UI, could be- ticipant flow diagram is presented in Figure 1. The 19
come a real problem in daily life activities and exercise underaged gymnasts had a mean age of 13.21 ± 1.84
practice, affecting quality of life (QoL). In young nul- and were selected from a gymnastics club in Madrid,
liparous female athletes, like young gymnasts, stress UI Spain. This club was chosen by convenience because
is usually underreported and underdiagnosed, proba- of the ease of access to the sample. Inclusion criteria
bly because of lack of knowledge and awareness. This were as follows: (1) nulliparous female between 12
situation, prolonged over time, might negatively affect and 17 years, (2) at least 4 years of experience
the personal and social life of young females.17 Urinary practicing gymnastics, and (3) gymnasts still active.
incontinence has been proved to be related to anxiety During the study intervention, all the participants
and depression at different levels, according to the type trained between 3 and 18 h/wk (mean, 9.2 h/wk) and at

2 Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n

FIGURE 1. Participant flow diagram.

least 3 d/wk. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) study and informed consent was signed by both of
prior urologic diagnosis, (2) taking medication that them. The questionnaires (personal and gymnastic data
could affect the outcomes of the study, or (3) injured and the International Consultation on Incontinence
gymnasts. Descriptive data of the sample are shown Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
in Table 1. [ICIQ-FLUTS]) were sent to the guardians of the par-
ticipants via email and filled out by the gymnasts under
Study Protocol their supervision at baseline and under the coaches and
researchers at follow-up.
The study protocol was divided into the following 3
Baseline data were collected before starting the first
parts: (1) initial data collection (baseline question-
week of training, and the familiarization session was
naires) and familiarization with Kegel exercises; (2)
performed to inform the participants how to properly
12 weeks of specific Kegel exercise program; and (3)
contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles and the
follow-up data collection.
feeling and sensations while doing the Kegel exercises,
Before the beginning of the data collection, a meet-
avoiding gluteal and adductor muscle contraction.
ing was held where the gymnasts and their legal
Moreover, an explanatory video was recorded and
guardians were informed of the characteristics of the
sent to the parents and gymnasts after the familiari-
zation session, summarizing the different exercises
TABLE 1. Descriptive Data of the Sample of Gymnasts that the gymnasts would do throughout the 12-week
n Mean SD intervention.
Age, y 19 13.21 1.84 The 12-week intervention program was directed by
Height, cm 19 147 0.15 the coaches, who were first instructed through a theo-
Weight, kg 19 43.43 1.25 retical class in the anatomical and physiological aspects
BMI 19 20.10 0.54 of the pelvic floor (structures that compose it, where it
Years of training 19 6.74 2.05 is located, and its main functions). This was followed
Menarcheal 5 by three 20-minute practice sessions, where the coaches
No menarcheal 14 learned how to properly contract the muscles, through
RC 2 the sensation of “stopping the action of urination,”
NC 17 without the presence of synergistic contractions of the
BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in me-
gluteus, adductors, or rectus abdominis, as well as how
ters squared); NC, national-level gymnasts; RC, regional-level gymnasts. to explain it to the gymnasts through simple

Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023 3

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
n ORIGINAL RESEARCH Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS

instructions on what to feel during the exercises and the homogeneity of dispersion from the normal distri-
how to contract as hard as possible and completely re- bution, a Shapiro-Wilk test was conducted. The data
lax the pelvic floor without involving other muscula- showed a nonnormal distribution ( P < 0.05); thus,
ture. The Kegel exercises were included in the warm-up descriptive results were presented as median and
part of the training session. This methodology was interquartile range, and the nonparametric Wilcoxon
chosen to facilitate adherence to the program by in- test for repeated measures was used to analyze the pre-
cluding it as one more part of the gymnastic training, post measures. The effect size estimations were calcu-
with scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of lated using the η2 (η2 = Z2/N) where Z indicates the
performing Kegel contractions without the need for Wilcoxon test statistic, and N is the total number of
medical supervision or a physical therapist to treat observations.27 The interpretation follows the sug-
UI.25 During the 12 weeks, constant communication gested ranges of interpretation: 0.01 ≤ effect size (ES)
was maintained between researchers and trainers to <0.06 small effect, 0.06 ≤ ES <0.14 moderate effect,
ensure the correct development of the sessions. and ES ≥ 0.14 large effect.28 The Statistical Package for
After finishing the 12-week intervention, the partic- Social Science (version 26.0) was used for statistical
ipants repeated (postmeasure) the ICIQ-FLUTS analysis (IBM SPSS, Inc, Chicago, Ill). All probability
questionnaire. values of P < 0.05 were considered statistically
significant.
Data Collection
To evaluate the LUTS at baseline and after 12 weeks of
intervention, and how they affect their QoL, a ques- RESULTS
tionnaire was used: The ICIQ-FLUTS, which is a vali- Fifty-one gymnasts were screened for participation in
dated questionnaire for evaluating female LUTS and this study, of which 20 were finally selected. Results of
the impact on QoL in research and clinical practice. It the intervention for the different parameters were ob-
consists of 12 items (nocturia, urgency, bladder pain, tained from 19 gymnasts and are shown in Table 2.
frequency, hesitancy, straining, intermittency, urgency The answers from the ICIQ-FLUTS questionnaire at
UI, frequency of UI, stress UI, unexplained UI, and baseline showed that the participants presented with
nocturnal enuresis). Participants indicated for each item certain LUTS at the beginning of the intervention. One
the frequency that the item happens (Likert scale from 0 of the participants reported getting up once during the
to 4) and how much does it bother them (Likert scale night to urinate, despite of her youth. Ten of the 19
from 0 to 10; see supplementary material, http://links. participants (52.6%) reported having troubles with a
lww.com/FPMRS/A391). sudden need to rush to the toilet to urinate (8 of the
gymnasts chose occasionally, one marked sometimes
and another one selected most of the time), and 3 par-
Intervention Characteristics
ticipants (15.8%) reported occasionally (n = 2) or
The Kegel exercise intervention consisted of 3 coach led sometimes (n = 1), when referring to urine leaking be-
sessions per week of approximately 10 minutes each to fore reaching the toilet, with 4 gymnasts having
be performed by the gymnasts in the warm-up section reporting urine leakage at least once per week (21.1%).
for 12 weeks (see supplementary material, http://links. These results indicate the presence of urgency UI in
lww.com/FPMRS/A392), which seems to be the optimal 57.7% of the sample at baseline. Similarly, 4 partici-
pelvic floor muscle workload to minimize urine loss.26 pants reported having pain in the bladder, needing to
Along the 12 weeks, the intensity of the exercises in- strain to urinate, or a delay before they can start to
creased according to the following 3 variables: duration urinate, whether occasionally or sometimes (21.1%).
and intensity of the contractions (slow and long or fast Regarding the need of stop and start more than once
and short), number of contractions, and execution while urinating, 4 gymnasts selected occasionally while
posture. The recovery time between contractions one of them reported all of the time, which represents
ranged from 1 to 12 seconds, depending on the number 26.4% of the sample reporting this kind of symptom.
of contractions performed. When the participants were asked about stress or idio-
pathic UI, 47.4% and 10.5% of them, respectively,
Statistical Analysis showed signs of UI. Regarding the first percentage, 7
Descriptive and frequency tests were performed to de- gymnasts selected occasionally, one gymnast marked
scribe the initial status of the pelvic floor muscle. To test most of the time and another one all of the time; 10.5%

4 Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n

TABLE 2. Median and IQR Before and After 12 Weeks of Intervention and Wilcoxon Nonparametric Test Values for the
Different ICIQ-FLUTS Questionnaire Parameters (0–4 Scale)
Pre Post
Median IQR Median IQR Z P ES
Nocturia 0 0 0 0 −0.577 0.564 0.01
Urgency 1 1 1 1 0.632 0.527 0.01
Bladder pain 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Micturition frequency 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Hesitancy 0 0 0 1 0.541 0.589 0.01
Straining 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Intermittency 0 1 0 1 0.106 0.916 0
Urge UI 0 0 0 1 1.89 0.059 0.09
Frequency of UI 0 0 0 1 1.414 0.157 0.05
Stress UI 0 1 0 1 −0.749 0.454 0.01
Unexplained UI 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Noctural enuresis 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.317 0.03
F subscore 1 2 1 2 0.098 0.922 0
V subscore 0 2 0 2 0.537 0.591 0.01
I subscore 1 2 0 3 0.816 0.414 0.02
ES, effect size; F subscore, filling symptoms subscore; I subscore, incontinence symptoms subscore; ICIQ-FLUTS, International Consultation on Incontinence Question-
naire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms; IQR, interquartile range; UI, urinary incontinence; V subscore, voiding symptoms subscore.

of the gymnasts with signs of idiopathic IU marked up during the night to urinate, a delay before start uri-
sometimes. About the relationship to QoL through the nating, strain to urinate, and idiopathic UI. The sudden
question of how each item bothers the gymnasts in their need to rush to the toilet and having pain in the bladder
daily life, responses were collected on a Likert scale obtained for some of the participants a score of 6, while
from 0 to 10, where 0 was no bother at all and 10 was a urgency incontinence obtained a 7, the frequency of
great deal (Table 3). The lowest maximal score (3 of leaking an 8, which raised to a 9 when the leakage oc-
10) was selected for the question if they needed to stop curred during physical activity.
and start again during urination. However, a maximal When the differences in the follow-up were ana-
score of 4 was selected for the following items: getting lyzed, no significant differences were found in any of

TABLE 3. Median and IQR Before and After 12 Weeks of Intervention and Wilcoxon Nonparametric Test Values for the ICIQ-
FLUTS Questionnaire Parameters Related to QoL (0–10 Scale)
Pre Post
Median IQR Median IQR Z P ES
Nocturia 0 0 0 0 0.184 0.854 0
Urgency 0 2 0 3 1.848 0.065 0.09
Bladder pain 0 0 0 2 0.422 0.673 0
Micturition frequency 0 0 0 0 0.707 0.480 0.01
Hesitancy 0 0 0 0 −0.408 0.683 0
Straining 0 0 0 0 −1.378 0.168 0.05
Intermittency 0 0 0 0 0.351 0.726 0
Urge UI 0 0 0 2 0.674 0.500 0.01
Frequency of UI 0 0 0 0 −0.315 0.752 0
Stress UI 0 2 0 3 −0.409 0.683 0
Unexplained UI 0 0 0 0 0.000 1.000 0
Noctural enuresis 0 0 0 0 0.000 1.000 0
ICIQ-FLUTS, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms; IQR, interquartile range; QoL, quality of life; UI, urinary
incontinence.

Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023 5

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
n ORIGINAL RESEARCH Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS

relative high prevalence of UI according to the


Simply Stated ICIQ-FLUTS questionnaire, reporting having a sudden
Women who practice sports are at higher risk of
need to go to the toilet or urgency UI, 57.7% of the
experiencing urinary leakage than those who are seden- sample. The gymnasts in this study also reported a high
tary. In high-impact sports that involve actions such as prevalence (45%) of stress UI, in concordance with the
running and jumping, this risk is intensified. Through this results that were shown by Thyssen et al.5
study, we wanted to verify whether these problems al- Urinary incontinence affects numerous women,8
ready occur in young athletes and whether it affects their
and the present investigation shows that gymnasts are
quality of life. In addition, a training intervention of the
pelvic floor musculature was carried out to prevent future affected by this type of problem at a very early age.
pelvic floor dysfunction. Although no significant effects were found in the re-
Nineteen young gymnasts participated in this study, duction of LUTS symptoms after the 12-week inter-
with a mean age of 13.21 ± 1.84 years. Through the use vention, the sample showed an increase in the reported
of validated questionnaires, it was found that they pre- presence of some LUTS, which indicates that the inter-
sented with certain problems, such as urinary inconti-
nence, that affected their daily life. The pelvic floor train-
vention was not effective to reduce the symptoms and
ing intervention did not produce improvements in the even intensified some of them. In addition to the
gymnasts, possibly due to an increased awareness. existing difficulty in locating the pelvic muscles to
perform the exercises, the fact that the coaches could
not “see” the contraction made it more difficult to
the variables studied. A negative tendency to signifi- monitor the exercises, which could be a reason why the
cance was observed ( P = 0.059, effect size = 0.09, me- gymnasts were not able to do the exercises efficiently.
dium) in the item of urine leaking before getting to the Furthermore, because of the youth of the sample and
toilet, where more gymnasts reported having occa- the sensitivity of the issue, it could be considered as a
sionally a sudden need to rush to the toilet to urinate in possibility that the gymnasts were not completely
the follow-up questionnaire. aware of the subject at baseline. After the intervention,
the awareness might have increased (because of the in-
tervention per se and the information received), the
DISCUSSION gymnasts reporting in the follow-up questionnaire an
The present study is focused on LUTS and bother and increase in LUTS. These results are in concordance with
the effect of 12 weeks of Kegel exercises on young nul- those found by de Andrade et al,30 in which 50 women
liparous gymnasts. from the intervention group increased their knowledge
Surprisingly, the ICIQ-FLUTS questionnaire related to the location, functions, and dysfunction of
showed that the prevalence of certain LUTS among the the pelvic floor muscles after the 4-week intervention,
participants at baseline was high, with 2 of the items although maximum voluntary contraction, the ability
asked, sudden need to rush to the toilet and stress UI to contract the pelvic floor muscles, or the self-reported
those that showed the highest prevalence. Different severity of UI did not significantly improve.
studies have also reported LUTS, such as UI in active The strength of this study lies in the fact that it is, to
females early in life.4,5,29 In a study carried out by our knowledge, the first pelvic floor intervention study
Thyssen et al5 where female athletes from different to be conducted in underaged athletes, setting the pre-
sports with a mean age of 22.8 years were compared, liminary basis for further studies to fill this gap in the
the authors found that 51.9% of the participants ex- literature. Because of the high prevalence on LUTS
perienced urine loss, 43% while exercising their sport, found already at this early age, more studies are needed
and 42% during normal daily life activities, being the to clarify the effects of sports on pelvic floor structures
group of gymnasts, which presented the highest pro- that allow researchers and coaches to implement strat-
portion (56%) of urinary leakage, among all the other egies that help prevent future pelvic floor problems. For
groups. The volunteers participating in the present future studies, it would be interesting to include objec-
study were younger than the athletes from the previ- tive measures to quantify the quality and quantity of
ously mentioned study but also reported some pelvic the pelvic floor muscle contractions in young female
floor problems at that early age. athletes. Even so, this study is intended as an approxi-
Gymnastics has been reported in different studies to mation toward future research.
be one of the sport disciplines with the highest preva- Therefore, the present study presents some limita-
lence of UI.5 The participants in this study presented a tions, such as the small sample size and the short

6 Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n

duration of the study, which prevents being able to de- 4. Giagio S, Salvioli S, Pillastrini P, et al. Sport and pelvic floor dysfunction
in male and female athletes: A scoping review. Neurourol Urodyn
termine whether the intervention will prevent athletes 2021;40(1):55–64. doi:10.1002/nau.24564.
from later developing PFDs. Another limitation was the 5. Thyssen HH, Clevin L, Olesen S, et al. Urinary incontinence in elite
use of self-reported data instead of objective measure- female athletes and dancers. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct
ments. Nevertheless, objective measurements normally 2002;13(1):15–17. doi:10.1007/s001920200003.

imply the use of intracavital devices. Because of the age 6. Sorrigueta-Hernández A, Padilla-Fernandez BY, Marquez-Sanchez MT,
et al. Benefits of physiotherapy on urinary incontinence in
and because most of the participants did not reach high-performance female athletes. Meta-analysis. J Clin Med 2020;
menarche yet, performing these tests might present an 9(10):3240. doi:10.3390/jcm9103240.
ethical issue, leading parents or legal guardians to deny 7. de Mattos Lourenco TR, Matsuoka PK, Baracat EC, et al. Urinary
these practices. incontinence in female athletes: a systematic review. Int Urogynecol J
2018;29(12):1757–1763. doi:10.1007/s00192-018-3629-z.
8. Bø K. Urinary incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction, exercise and sport.
Sports Med 2004;34(7):451–464. doi:10.2165/00007256-
200434070-00004.
ARTICLE INFORMATION 9. Christoforidou A, Patikas DA, Bassa E, et al. Landing from different
heights: biomechanical and neuromuscular strategies in trained
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS gymnasts and untrained prepubescent girls. J Electromyogr Kinesiol
The authors want to thank the “Club de gimnasia Los Cantos-Alcorcón” and 2017;32:1–8. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2016.11.003.
all the volunteers and coaches that participated in this study.
10. Nygaard IE, Shaw JM. Physical activity and the pelvic floor. Am J Obstet
From the *Social Sciences of Physical Activity, Sport and Leisure depart- Gynecol 2016;214(2):164–171. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2015.08.067.
ment, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Universidad
Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid; †GENUD Toledo Research Group, 11. Longo AF, Siffredi CR, Cardey ML, et al. Age of peak performance in
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo; ‡CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Olympic sports: a comparative research among disciplines. J Hum
Aging (CIBERFES); and §Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea Sport Exerc 2016;11(1):31–41. doi:10.14198/jhse.2016.111.03.
de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 12. Huang YC, Chang KV. Kegel Exercises. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island
Correspondence: Celia Rodríguez-Longobardo. E-mail: (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
celia.rlongobardo@upm.es. 13. Park SH, Kang CB, Jang SY, et al. Effect of kegel exercise to prevent
Celia Rodríguez-Longobardo: 0000-0001-8419-8963 urinary and fecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women:
systematic review. J Korean Acad Nurs 2013;43(3):420–430. doi:10.
Amelia Guadalupe-Grau: 0000-0003-2573-4572 4040/jkan.2013.43.3.420.
Miguel Ángel Gómez-Ruano: 0000-0002-9585-3158 14. Eder SE. Evaluation of the EmbaGYN™ pelvic floor muscle stimulator in
Olga López-Torres: 0000-0002-4030-1305 addition to Kegel exercises for the treatment of female stress urinary
incontinence: a prospective, open-label, multicenter, single-arm study.
The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest. Womens Health 2014;10(1):17–27. doi:10.2217/WHE.13.67.
The study was approved by the Technical University of Madrid (number 15. Ong TA, Khong SY, Ng KL, et al. Using the Vibrance Kegel device with
2022-038). pelvic floor muscle exercise for stress urinary incontinence: a
All the participants and their legal guardians were informed of the randomized controlled pilot study. Urology 2015;86(3):487–491. doi:
characteristics of the study, and an informed consent was signed by both of 10.1016/J.UROLOGY.2015.06.022.
them.
16. Weinstein MM, Pulliam SJ, Richter HE. Randomized trial comparing
Permission to reproduce material from other sources: No permission efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training with a digital therapeutic
required. motion-based device to standard pelvic floor exercises for treatment of
stress urinary incontinence (SUV trial): an all-virtual trial design. Contemp
C.R.L. and O.L.T. did the data collection, data analysis, and text drafting. A.
Clin Trials 2021;105:106406. doi:10.1016/J.CCT.2021.106406.
G.G. and G.R.M.A. did the data analysis and text drafting revision.
17. Joseph C, Srivastava K, Ochuba O, et al. Stress urinary incontinence
Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations
are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s among young nulliparous female athletes. Cureus 2021;13(9):
website (www.urogynecologyjournal.org). e17986. doi:10.7759/cureus.17986.

© 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. All rights reserved. 18. Stach-Lempinen B, Hakala AL, Laippala P, et al. Severe depression
determines quality of life in urinary incontinent women. Neurourol
Urodyn 2003;22:563–568. doi:10.1002/nau.10137.
19. Alves JO, Luz STD, Brandão S, et al. Urinary incontinence in physically
active young women: prevalence and related factors. Int J Sports Med
2017;38(12):937–941. doi:10.1055/s-0043-115736.
REFERENCES 20. Pires T, Pires P, Moreira H, et al. Assessment of pelvic floor muscles in
1. Chapple CR, Wein AJ, Abrams P, et al. Lower urinary tract symptoms sportswomen: quality of life and related factors. Phys Ther Sport 2020;
revisited: a broader clinical perspective. Eur Urol 2008;54(3): 43:151–156. doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.02.015.
563–569. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2008.03.109. 21. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang AG, et al. G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power
2. Patel AK, Chapple CR. Lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences.
incontinence. Ceylon Med J. 2008;53:117–120. doi:10.4038/cmj. Behav Res Methods 2007;39(2):175–191. doi:10.3758/BF03193146.
v53i4.279 22. Pires TF, Pires PM, Moreira MH, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training in
3. Rocca Rossetti S. Functional anatomy of pelvic floor. Arch Ital Urol female athletes: a randomized controlled pilot study. Int J Sports Med
Androl 2016;88(1):28–37. doi:10.4081/aiua.2016.1.28. 2020;41(4):264–270. doi:10.1055/a-1073-7977.

Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023 7

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
n ORIGINAL RESEARCH Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS

23. Sousa M, Viana R, Viana S, et al. Effects of a pelvic floor muscle training meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019;16(22):4358. doi:
in nulliparous athletes with urinary incontinence: biomechanical models 10.3390/ijerph16224358.
protocol. Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics 27. Morse DT. MINSIZE2: a computer program for determining effect size
2015;21:83–90. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15799-3_6. and minimum sample size for statistical significance for univariate,
24. da Roza T, de Araujo MP, Viana R, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training to multivariate, and nonparametric tests. Educ Psychol Meas 1999;59(3):
improve urinary incontinence in young, nulliparous sport students: a 518–531.
pilot study. Int Urogynecol J 2012;23(8):1069–1073. doi:10.1007/ 28. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. L.
s00192-012-1759-2. New Jersey: Erlbaum Associates; 1988.
25. Cavkaytar S, Kokanali MK, Topcu HO, et al. Effect of home-based 29. Louis-Charles K, Biggie K, Wolfinbarger A, Wilcox B, Kienstra CM.
Kegel exercises on quality of life in women with stress and mixed urinary Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in the Female Athlete. Curr Sports Med Rep.
incontinence. J Obstet Gynaecol 2015;35(4):407–410. doi:10.3109/ 2019;18:49–52. doi:10.1249/JSR.0000000000000563
01443615.2014.960831. 30. de Andrade RL, Bø K, Antonio FI, et al. An education program about
26. García-Sánchez E, Ávila-Gandía V, López-Román J, et al. What pelvic pelvic floor muscles improved women’s knowledge but not pelvic floor
floor muscle training load is optimal in minimizing urine loss in muscle function, urinary incontinence or sexual function: a randomised
women with stress urinary incontinence? A systematic review and trial. J Physiother 2018;64(2):91–96. doi:10.1016/j.jphys.2018.02.010.

8 Rodríguez-Longobardo, et al. UROGYNECOLOGY Vol 00 Issue 00 Month 2023

Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

You might also like