Effect of belly dancing on urinary incontinence-related muscles and vaginal pressure in middle-aged women.
So-Young An, Seung-Suk Kim, Gunsoo Han
PMID 28356615WHAT IT FOUND
Middle-aged women with urinary incontinence who did belly dancing 90 minutes twice weekly for 12 weeks had higher measured pelvic floor contraction pressure and longer contraction time than before.
The control group did not change.
Key findings
01In the belly dancing group, maximum pelvic floor contraction pressure increased from 18.7 ± 1.5 mmHg to 32.5 ± 3.6 mmHg, and maximum contraction duration increased from 3.9 ± 0.5 seconds to 6.6 ± 0.4 seconds.
02The belly dancing group's adductor muscle strength value increased from 8.4 ± 0.7 to 12.5 ± 0.7.
03The control group showed no significant change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 24 women from one city, so the result may not generalise. The study measured pelvic floor contraction pressure, contraction duration, and adductor strength, not urinary incontinence symptoms or quality of life. The control group did not receive an equivalent exercise program, so the comparison is against no structured activity. The paper does not describe blinding of participants or assessors. The authors note that more research is needed to tailor exercise to individual characteristics and to test different incontinence types.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that belly dancing reduces urinary incontinence symptoms. The study measured pelvic floor contraction pressure, contraction duration, and adductor strength, not incontinence episodes or patient-reported symptoms, and the sample was small.