A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that a 12-week pelvic floor yoga program is not significantly more effective than a physical conditioning program for women suffering from daily urinary incontinence (UI).
The study, led by Dr. Alison J. Huang from the University of California, San Francisco, involved ambulatory women aged 45 and older across three sites in California. The participants, who reported experiencing daily urgency-, stress-, or mixed-type UI, were divided into two groups: one engaging in pelvic floor-specific Hatha yoga techniques and the other in general muscle stretching and strengthening exercises.
Key Findings:
Baseline UI Frequency: On average, the women reported 3.4 UI episodes per day before the study, with urgency-type UI occurring 1.9 times and stress-type UI 1.4 times daily.
Reduction in UI Episodes: Over the 12-week period, UI frequency decreased by 2.3 episodes per day in the yoga group and 1.9 episodes per day in the physical conditioning group.
Urgency-Type UI: There was a decrease of 1.2 and 1.0 urgency-type UI episodes per day in the yoga and physical conditioning groups, respectively.
Stress-Type UI: No significant difference was observed between the groups in reducing stress-type UI frequency.
The researchers noted that while pelvic floor yoga may offer therapeutic benefits for urgency UI, the observed changes in type-specific UI were secondary outcomes that require further investigation. This study suggests that while yoga can be beneficial, it may not be superior to general physical conditioning for managing urinary incontinence in women.
