Does Electromyographic Biofeedback Improve Outcomes of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence (categorized as stress, urgency, or mixed incontinence) is highly prevalent in women and can impair quality of life. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can be effective in reducing urinary incontinence. To enhance PFMT, physical therapists often employ electromyographic biofeedback (EBF); as patients follow exercise instructions, a vaginal probe detects and displays responses to electrical activity in pelvic floor muscles on a screen visible to the patient. To determine if EBF augments the efficacy of PFMT in managing incontinence, investigators in the U.K. recruited 600 women (mean age, 47) with stress or mixed urinary incontinence to participate in a multicenter trial. Participants were randomized to PFMT alone or wi…