Lower back pain and stress urinary incontinence – can stabilization exercises help both?

This study examined the benefit of stabilization exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscles for women with both lower back pain and stress urinary incontinence. Researchers reported improved urinary incontinence and lower back pain among women undergoing physiotherapy and the stabilization exercises.

Pelvic floor muscle training is often the first and most commonly used treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Exercising the pelvic muscles improves their strength and coordination, which is important to prevent urine leakage. The pelvic floor muscles also form an important part in providing stability for the spine. Previous studies have suggested a link between lower back pain and stress urinary incontinence. One report found that 78% of women with lower back pain also had stress urinary incontinence. Spine stability exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscles could therefore benefit women with both lower back pain and stress urinary incontinence.

60 women with both lower back pain and stress urinary incontinence were included in this study. Women were randomly assigned to a control group or to the training group. The control group received routine physiotherapy for lower back pain. This included transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, hot packs, and therapeutic ultrasound, and regular exercises. The training group received routine physiotherapy and stabilization exercises focusing on pelvic floor muscles for 12 weeks. Urinary incontinence and lower back pain were measured before and after treatment.

Lower back disability and lower back pain intensity were significantly reduced in both the control and the training group after treatment. No significant differences were observed between the two groups.

Urinary incontinence was only improved among women in the training group. Pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance were significantly greater in the training group compared to the control group.

Researchers concluded that combining the stabilization exercises with routine physiotherapy can improve stress urinary incontinence and lower back pain.

The benefit of the stabilization exercises on lower back pain cannot be fully determined in this study. This is because both groups also received routine physiotherapy for lower back pain. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.