PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING WITH GAMIFIED MOBILE APPLICATIONS VS STANDARD KEGEL EXERCISES IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN WITH STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17524817
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64105/Keywords:
Pelvic Floor Muscle Training, Kegel Exercises, Gamification, Mobile Application, Stress Urinary Incontinence, Postpartum Women, Quality Of LifeAbstract
Background: stress urinary incontinence (sui) is a common postpartum complication caused by weakness of pelvic floor muscles, leading to urinary leakage, reduced function, and poor quality of life. pelvic floor muscle training (pfmt), commonly known as kegel exercises, is considered the gold standard for sui management. however, adherence to conventional exercises is often low due to lack of motivation and feedback. gamified mobile applications may enhance engagement, exercise adherence, and treatment outcomes.
objective: to determine the effects of pelvic floor muscle training with gamified mobile applications compared to standard kegel exercises on symptoms, pelvic floor function, and quality of life in postpartum women with stress urinary incontinence.
methods: this randomized controlled trial was conducted at clinic 1.forty postpartum women diagnosed with sui meeting inclusion criteria were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups using lottery method. group a received gamified mobile application–based pfmt, while group b performed standard kegel exercises. both groups trained three times per week for 8 weeks. outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks using the international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-urinary incontinence short form (iciq-ui sf), oxford grading scale for pelvic floor muscle strength, and king’s health questionnaire (khq) for quality of life. data were analyzed using spss version 21.
results: both groups showed significant improvement in urinary symptoms, pelvic floor muscle strength, and quality of life post-intervention (p < 0.05). the post-treatment mean difference favored gamified pfmt, with greater reduction in iciq-ui sf scores, higher muscle strength gains, and better quality-of-life improvements compared to standard kegel exercises.
conclusion: the study concluded that both standard kegel exercises and gamified mobile application–based pfmt are effective in reducing urinary incontinence and improving pelvic floor function and quality of life in postpartum women. however, gamified pfmt demonstrated superior outcomes due to improved adherence and motivation.
