Effect of electromagnetic stimulation augmented by pelvic floor exercises on stress urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a serious problem, affecting physical, psychological, and social aspects of women’s lives. Electromagnetic therapy (EMT) is a novel non-invasive method used in the treatment of UI. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effect of pelvic floor exercises (PFEs) augmented by EMT in managing stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: A randomized controlled, assessor-blind trial included 49 postmenopausal women with SUI, selected from the women's health outpatient clinic of Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University. They were assigned to three groups; group (A) (n=17) received EMT (15-minute/ session), pelvic floor exercises (PFEs) (45-minute /session) 3 times a week, for 4 weeks, and a specific set of advice to help manage SUI, group (B) (n=16) performed PFEs and followed advice as group A, and group (C) (n=16), only followed advice. Assessment of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength by Electromyography (EMG) and severity of the symptoms by the revised urinary incontinence scale (RUIS) were conducted before and after 4 weeks. No adverse events were reported during the study course. Results: Within groups, there were statistically significant improvements (p ˂ 0.05) in both PFM activity and severity of UI symptoms in groups A & B, with minimal change in group C. Between groups post-intervention, there was more improvement in both variables in favor of group A. Conclusions: PFEs augmented by EMT could be effective in increasing PFM activity and reducing postmenopausal SUI severity.