Pelvic floor muscle training in men with post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence: a scoping review.
Jackelline Evellin Moreira Dos Santos, Virginia Visconde Brasil, Cissa Azevedo and 4 others
PMID 39476142WHAT IT FOUND
Only four of 24 protocols fully described pelvic floor muscle training after prostatectomy.
Several omitted contraction intensity, muscle exercised, and relaxation time. Common details were starting within 15 days and up to three daily sessions.
Key findings
01Only four of 24 mapped pelvic floor muscle training protocols described the full protocol content.
02Contraction intensity, muscle exercised, and relaxation time were among the least described protocol items.
03Thirteen protocols recommended starting pelvic floor muscle training within 15 days after radical prostatectomy, and 18 protocols reported up to three daily sessions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a scoping review of protocol descriptions, not a trial or meta-analysis, so it does not show which protocol works. Many protocols did not fully describe content, and key details such as contraction intensity, target muscle, and relaxation time were often missing. The included studies used different definitions of continence and had methodological heterogeneity, so results cannot be compared. The review excluded protocols combined with electrical stimulation, biofeedback, vibration, magnetic stimulation, medication, or surgery, and late rehabilitation interventions, so it does not cover all care pathways.
Declared interests
The paper was extracted from a graduate thesis and supported by Brazilian public research agencies CNPq, CAPES, and FAPEMIG. The supplied text reports public funding and does not mention commercial funding or author conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that pelvic floor muscle training works or that a specific protocol is best. It mapped how protocols were described, not patient outcomes, and many protocols omitted key details.