Is PFMT effective in the treatment of OAB?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A prospective, randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), in addition to lifestyle management and bladder retraining, versus lifestyle management and bladder retraining alone, in subjects with overactive bladder (OAB).
IRAS ID
140990
Contact name
A MONGA
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Urinary Incontinence (UI), ‘the complaint of any involuntary urinary leakage’, is a common, often disabling, symptom affecting women of all ages. Women suffering with UI often put off seeking advice and support because of feeling embarrassed. This means that there are many people suffering who are not known about.\nThere are three main types of UI: urgency (UUI)- loss of urine after feeling the sudden need to pass urine, stress (SUI)- leaking urine when coughing, sneezing or on exertion, and mixed (MUI)- suffering with symptoms of both SUI and UUI. \nPeople suffering with overactive bladder (OAB) complain of a sudden uncontrollable urge to pass urine, which may be followed by UUI. They also may complain of frequency, where they have to pass urine many times throughout the day and often during the night. \nTreatment starts with lifestyle advice and re-training of the bladder, to get used to holding more urine to gradually increase the time between going to the toilet. \nThose with SUI often benefit from exercising the pelvic floor muscles (PFM). The PFM are a group of muscles, which run from your pubic bone at the front, to the base of your spine at the back. They form a sling which help support your bladder and urethra (the tube that urine comes out of), as well as play an important role in keeping you dry. Exercises have been designed strengthen these muscles and improve bladder control. These exercises are so effective in some, that further treatment is not required. \nIt is not known whether PFM training (PFMT) is an effective treatment of OAB. The purpose of the study is to find out whether women with OAB benefit from PFMT in addition to standard treatment.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/0072
Date of REC Opinion
18 Feb 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion