functional magnetic stimulation for stress urinary incontinence

exercise program for pelvic floor muscle

When applying functional magnetic stimulation, the stress urinary incontinence program "P2 stress" was chosen. The first 20 min. current frequency was 35 Hz, modulation - rising amplitude (from 0 to maximum per second), total wave duration 12 s. active time 6 s., pause time 6 s. After 20 min. current frequency changed to 5 Hz, modulation and wave remained the same. After 2 min. current frequency changed to 35 Hz, modulation - amplitude, one-sided sinusoidal, wave remained the same. The total duration of the procedure was 30 min. A magnetic spring is installed at the bottom of the chair. During the treatment, each subject was instructed to sit on a chair so that the perineum was centered on the spring and that the subjects felt the contraction of the muscles. The intensity of the magnetic field was adjusted so as to feel comfortable during the study procedure (Vadalà et al., 2017).

ICIQ - SF - International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - Short Form is intended to subjectively evaluate the symptoms of urinary incontinence in a woman or man and the impact of those symptoms on the quality of life. The questionnaire consists of four questions. The first two questions assess the symptoms of urinary incontinence experienced, the third question describes quality of life and the fourth question determines which type of incontinence the person has. The scores of the first three questions are summed up, the maximum number of points collected is 21, the minimum is 0. Depending on the number of points collected, the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms is assessed: no urinary incontinence symptoms (0 points), mild urinary incontinence symptoms (1 - 5 points), moderate incontinence symptoms (score 6-12), severe incontinence symptoms (score 13-18) and very severe incontinence symptoms (19-21).

The IIQ-7 questionnaire is designed to assess the impact of urinary incontinence on quality of life. The questionnaire consists of seven questions, which can be answered to find out the impact of urinary incontinence on all areas of life: physical activity, traveling, social activity, relationships, emotional state. Each question is evaluated from 0 to 3 points. The higher the score, the worse the quality of life. The maximum number of collected points is 100, the minimum is 0. <50 points is considered a good quality of life, 50-70 points is an average quality of life, >70 points is a poor quality of life.

The strength and endurance of the subjects' pelvic floor muscles was assessed with a Pelvexiser perineometer (Wolfram Haboeck Co., Austria). This apparatus has been scientifically proven as an objective method of assessing the function of the pelvic floor muscles and an effective exerciser for strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, which is why it is often used in the presence of for urinary incontinence problems. The Pelvexiser can provide varying resistance to the pelvic floor muscles and provide real-time feedback on pelvic floor muscle contractions and changes (Chitra et al., 2010).