Improvement in Quality of Life with Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Biofeedback in Patients with Painful Bladder Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis.

To prove the benefits of pelvic floor muscle training with biofeedback (BFB) as a complementary treatment in women with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC).

Prospective, randomized study in 123 women with BPS/IC. Groups: BFB+ (n = 48): women with oral drug treatment (perphenazine and amitriptyline) plus intravesical instillations (sodium hyaluronate) plus pelvic floor muscle training with BFB; BFB-: (n = 75): women with oral drug treatment plus intravesical instillations.

age, body mass index (BMI), time of follow-up, length of disease, time free of disease, diseases and health conditions concomitant, and responses to the SF-36 health-related quality of life questionnaire at the first consultation (SF-36 pre-treatment), and at the end of the study (SF-36 post-treatment). The treatment was considered successful when the SF-36 score reached values equal to or greater than 80 points or when the initial value increased by 30 or more points.

Mean age was 51.62 years old (23-82). BMI was higher in BFB-. The mean length of BPS/IC condition was 4.92 years (1-20), shorter in BFB+ than in BFB-. Mean SF-36 score pre-treatment was 45.92 points (40-58), lower in BFB+ than in BFB-. Post-treatment SF-36 score was higher than pre-treatment SF-36 score both in BFB+ and BFB-. SF-36 values were higher in BFB+ compared to BFB- over the follow-up.

BFB improves quality of life in women with BPS/IC as adjunct therapy to combined oral and intravesical treatment.

Journal of clinical medicine. 2021 Feb 19*** epublish ***

Pedro-Santiago Borrego-Jimenez, Javier Flores-Fraile, Bárbara-Yolanda Padilla-Fernández, Sebastián Valverde-Martinez, Agustín Gómez-Prieto, Magaly Teresa Márquez-Sánchez, José-Antonio Mirón-Canelo, María-Fernanda Lorenzo-Gómez

Physiotherapy Department of Institute of Applied Technology, Abu Dhabi 3798, United Arab Emirates., Department of Surgery, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain., Departamento de Cirugía, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain., Department of Emergency, University Hospital of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain., Renal Urological Multidisciplinary Research Group (GRUMUR), Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), 37007 Salamanca, Spain.