Exercise alternatives improved incontinence symptoms compared with usual care or placebo
Alternative regimens improved symptoms compared with usual care or placebo. Comparisons with pelvic floor muscle training did not detect significant differences, which does not establish equivalence.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Alternative exercises improved urinary symptom severity and quality of life compared with usual care or placebo. Against pelvic floor muscle training, neither outcome showed a statistically significant difference. The evidence therefore depends on the comparison: it does not establish that alternative exercises and pelvic floor training are interchangeable for individual women.
The abstract does not report intervention lengths or separate effects for each exercise type. No adverse events were reported, but the abstract does not explain how harms were monitored.
What researchers found
Urinary incontinence severity
Alternative exercises versus pelvic floor muscle training. Assessment timing was not reported in the abstract.
Different exercises were grouped
The review grouped approaches including Pilates, yoga, breathing exercises and exercises for lower back and pelvic stability. A pooled result across these approaches does not establish that each exercise type has the same effects.
Symptoms and quality of life
Symptom severity and quality of life were analyzed separately. The review found the same comparison pattern for both: a benefit against usual care or placebo, without a statistically clear advantage over pelvic floor training.
The original publication
Alternative Exercise Regimens for Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Hao J, Yao Z, Remis A et al.
Int Urogynecol J · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41273378
- Record checked
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