Effects of exercise treatment with or without heat and steam generating sheet on urine loss in community-dwelling Japanese elderly women with urinary incontinence.

AIM

To determine the effects of exercise treatment with or without heat and steam generating sheet (HSGS) on reducing urine loss in community-dwelling elderly women with urinary incontinence (UI).

METHODS

One hundred and forty-seven community-dwelling women aged 70years and older with stress, urge and mixed UI were randomly assigned to exercise+HSGS (n=37), exercise only (n=37), HSGS only (n=37) or an education group (n=36). Exercise+HSGS, and exercise groups received exercise training twice a week for 3months. When the HSGS was placed on the lower back, the temperature of the skin surface rose to 38-40°C and it continued to generate heat and steam for over 5h. The HSGS group used one sheet per day continuously for 3months. Urine loss and fitness data were collected at baseline and after intervention.

RESULTS

  The intervention groups showed significant improvements in muscle strength and walking speed compared to the education group. Exercise and HSGS showed urine loss cure rates of 54.1%, exercise 34.3% and HSGS 21.6% after treatment; whereas, the education group (2.9%) showed no significant improvement (χ(2) =21.89, P<0.001). Combining the HSGS to the exercise intervention showed a 61.5% cure rate for stress UI, 50.0% urge UI and 40.0% mixed UI.

CONCLUSION

  This data suggests that exercise treatment with HSGS is more effective for treating urine loss regardless of UI type. The HSGS can be used as a supplementary treatment method to enhance the effects of exercise on women with urge, mixed and stress UI.

© 2011 Japan Geriatrics Society.