Bladder training and Kegel exercises on urinary symptoms in female patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the effects of bladder training and Kegel exercises on urinary symptoms and the quality of life in female patients with multiple sclerosis. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted. The study was composed of 37 participants from two different hospitals in Turkey. The data collection tools included a Patient Information Form, Expanded Disability Status Scale, Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Scale-54, King's Health Questionnaire, and a bladder diary. Participants were followed through phone consultation seven times during a 3 month period. The participants showed a significant improvement in both the physical and mental health of their quality of life scores compared to the baseline regarding the King's Health Questionnaire Scale, there was an increase in patients' general health perception compared to the baseline. There was reduction in the frequency, nocturia, urgency, and urinary incontinence compared to the baseline at much level of symptoms odds. In this sample, bladder training and Kegel exercises improved quality of life in female patients with MS. These techniques increased the patients'general health perception of their urinary symptoms.