| Objective: To observe the effects of core exercises and Flexi-bar combined with core exercises on pelvic floor muscle function, severity of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and quality of life in postpartum women with SUI. Methods: A total of 45 postpartum women with mild and moderate SUI who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into Kegel group, core exercise group (referred to as core group) and Flexi-bar combined with core exercise group (referred to as Flexi-bar group), with 15 cases in each group, and underwent corresponding pelvic floor muscle training for 30 min a day, 5 days a week for 12 weeks. The Kegel group underwent traditional pelvic floor muscle contraction training. The core group underwent core movements exercise, including four sets of movements (bird-dog exercise, elbow and knee plank, leg lift and lower limbs adduction when standing). The Flexi-bar group underwent the core movements exercise with active hand-held flexi-bar vibration. The maximum displacement and the maintenance time of the bladder base by transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS), the ICIQ-SF score and the I-QOL score were evaluated and compared before and after the experiment. Results: After 12 weeks of training, the maximum displacement and the maintenance time of the bladder base and I-QOL scores in 3 groups were significantly increased (P<0.01), while ICIQ-SF scores were significantly decreased (P<0.01). After 12 weeks of training, the maximum displacement and the maintenance time of the bladder base in Flexi-bar group were higher than those in core group and Kegel group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ICIQ-SF score among the three groups . I-QOL scores in core group and Flexi-bar group were higher than those in Kegel group (P<0.05). Conclusion: All the three training methods can improve pelvic floor function, reduce the severity of SUI, and improve the quality of life. The improvement of pelvic floor function in Flexi-bar group was better than that in core group and Kegel group, and the improvement of quality of life in Flexi-bar group and core group was higher than that in Kegel group. |
