Physical Exercise for Colorectal Cancer Patients After Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision

Physical Exercise for Colorectal Cancer Patients After Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision

Fecal incontinence is common in patients with rectal cancer after surgery. Previous studies showed that pelvic floor muscle and external sphincter muscle training after stoma closure could improve the severity of incontinence and other fecal symptoms, but there is no study about the effects of pelvic floor muscle exercise intervention before stoma closure. We are wondering would the symptom of fecal incontinence recover sooner and better if we give the pelvic floor muscle exercise intervention before the stoma closure. This article aims at comparing the effects of pelvic floor muscle training before stoma closure on fecal incontinence (pre-intervention group) with pelvic floor muscle training after stoma closure (post-intervention group), and we hypothesise that the severity of fecal incontinence will improve sooner and better in pre-intervention group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• rectal cancer patients who have received transanal total mesorectal excision(TaTME) surgery; 20~75 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• terminal stage of cancer; unable to following orders due to poor cognitive condition; too weak to follow the experimental procedures; central nervous system lesions