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2022-3-Effect of Kegel Exercises On Lower Urinary Tract.68
2022-3-Effect of Kegel Exercises On Lower Urinary Tract.68
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n
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
Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n
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
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%
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.
Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
n ORIGINAL RESEARCH Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Effect of Kegel Exercises on LUTS
ORIGINAL RESEARCH n
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Permission to reproduce material from other sources: No permission efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training with a digital therapeutic
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