Mechanisms of pelvic floor muscle training for managing urinary incontinence in women: a scoping review

BMC Women's Health

Table 1 Description of study samples and urinary incontinence type

Author, year and country	Study design	Sample				UI type
Author, year and country	Study design	n Assigned PFMT	Age M ± SD, (age range)	Condition	n, Comparators	Urge	Stress	Mixed
Mechanism 1. Enhanced PFM strength
Bø (2003), Norway	Secondary analysis of RCT	52	45.5, (24–64)				X
Burns et al. (1993), USA	RCT	83	63.0 ± 6.0, 63.0 ± 5.0, (≥ 50)		40 controls		X	X
Dinc et al. (2009), Turkey	RCT	35	26.05 ± 4.8, 27.7 ± 7.2	20th-34th week of pregnancy	33 controls		X	X
Dougherty et al. (1993), USA	Pre and post-intervention study	65	51.3 ± 10.6, (35–75)	Mid-age and elderly Parous			X
Hahn et al. (1993), Sweden	Case-controlled study	170	51.3 ± 0.98, (27–84)		27 awaiting surgery		X
Hung et al. (2012), Taiwan	Prospective cohort study	68	50.5 ± 6.0				X	X
Kim et al. (2007), Japan	RCT, crossover follow up trial	70 (35 in each group)	76.6 ± 5.0, 76.6 ± 3.8	Elderly			X
Nystrom et al. (2018), Sweden	Pre and post-intervention study	61	44.7 ± 9.7, (27–72)				X
Segal et al. (2016), USA	Prospective cohort study	215	54.4 ± 12.7	Mid-age and elderly parous			X
Sun et al. (2018), China	Prospective cohort study	133	33.63 ± 3.98, 42.66 ± 11.35	Postpartum			X
Theofrastous et al. (2002), USA	RCT	69	60.6 ± 10.0, (45–79)		68, bladder training		X	X
Mechanism 2. Maximized awareness of timing
Cammu et al. (2000)^a, Belgium	10-Year follow-up	45	61.0 ± 10.0				X
Junginger et al. (2014), Germany	Prospective cohort study	55	Not reported			X	X	X

Blank cells = information was not appliable or not available. Articles retained from search results (n = 13 including 11 for enhanced PFM strength mechanism and 2 for maximized awareness of timing mechanism). This table focuses on tabulation in readiness of integration of information for critical analysis of the general quality of studies on PFMT to treat UI, while also testing for theorized mechanism/s of effect
UI, urinary incontinence; PFMT, pelvic floor muscle training; PFM, pelvic floor muscle; M, mean; SD, standard deviation; RCT, randomized controlled trial
^aA 10-year PFMT follow up article was also found in the main PFMT strengthening theory literature search, but it was not included in the analysis of results for the main PFMT strengthening theory since it did not report PFM strength and had no statistical analysis of correlation between changes in PFM strength and incontinence

ISSN: 1472-6874