Impact of physiotherapy interventions in urinary incontinence and on overall quality of life in patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer: A systematic review.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to extract inference from research articles published through evidence-based practice physiotherapy toward resistance training, aerobic exercises, trunk specific exercises, pelvic floor muscle training and manual therapy in managing urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction along with strategies implemented to improve quality of life in patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Methods: The databases PubMed, Google Scholar, PEDro, MEDLINE, and Cochrane were systematically searched for this review. Two authors independently evaluated the methodological quality of the included studies using the PEDro scale to ensure reliability and validity.

Results: Total of 22 studies, comprising 1589 participants with a mean age of 62.16 ± 7.24 years were included in the review after meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Physiotherapy interventions, including resistance training, aerobic exercises, trunk-specific exercises, pelvic floor muscle training, and manual therapy, demonstrated significant improvements in managing urinary incontinence among patients undergoing prostate cancer treatment. Pelvic floor muscle training was particularly effective in reducing incontinence, while resistance and aerobic training contributed to enhanced physical function and quality of life. Data extraction and verification were performed independently by two authors, with three authors cross-referencing for additional articles.

Conclusion: The clinical presentation in patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer was found to be positively influenced by physiotherapy interventions, decreasing the symptoms of urinary incontinence and thus, improving the quality of life.