Effects of bladder training and pelvic floor muscle training in female patients with overactive bladder syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: The purpose of our study was to see the efficacy of 3 different modes of treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) in symptoms reduction and quality of life improvement. Methods: We conducted a 12-week single-blinded randomized controlled trial of women aged 22–65 years with clinical diagnosis of OAB. Arm A ( n = 47) received bladder training, arm B ( n = 50) received pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), and arm C ( n = 50) received PFMT with biofeedback. Bladder diary was used to assess the difference in urinary frequency, urgency, and leak accidents before and after treatment. Initial and final assessment was made using ­validated urogenital distress inventory short form 6 (UDI-SF6) and incontinence impact questionnaire short form 7 (IIQ-SF7). Results: UDI-SF6 scores showed significant improvement in all arms. There was a reduction in UDI-6 scores from 8.38 ± 4.3 to 4.77 ± 5.5 with a mean difference of 3.61 ± 7.4 in patients in arm A ( p = 0.002), arm B ( p = 0.01), and arm C ( p = 0.016). All patients in arms A, B, and C reported significant improvement in quality of life as assessed by IIQ-SF7 scores with significant p values of 0.009, 0.051, and 0.001, respectively. Bladder diary results using paired t test showed the significant difference in day time urinary frequency in arm A after treatment, as well as the reduction in both leak accidents and urgency score in all 3 arms. Conclusions: All 3 arms of study showed significant results and can be used as the first line of management.