The effect of group or individualised pelvic floor exercises with or without ultrasonography guidance for urinary incontinence in elderly women - A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Pelvic floor exercises combined with patient education has shown to be a promising intervention for women suffering from urinary incontinence. This pilot study investigated the effect of patient education combined with group or individualised pelvic floor exercises, or individualised pelvic floor exercises with ultrasonography guidance. METHODS: Thirty-three elderly women with urinary incontinency completed a block-randomised, assessor-blinded study combining patient education with 12-weeks of pelvic floor exercises either group-based or individual with or without ultrasonography guidance. Urinary incontinence symptoms were assessed using the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IQ-7) and Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6). Furthermore, daily fluid intake and number of bathroom visits were recorded. Pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed using a manual squeeze test (Oxford Scale, 6-point). RESULTS: An increase in pelvic floor strength was observed after 12 weeks for both the individual (P = 0.038) and the individual ultrasonography-guided (P = 0.01) exercise groups. However, only the latter group maintained an increased strength at the 24-week follow-up (P = 0.008). Across all groups, the intervention led to a decrease in bathroom visits (P = 0.002) that was maintained at the 24-week follow-up (P < 0.001). The interventions led to a decrease in UDI-6 both after the 12-week intervention (P = 0.009) and at the 24-week follow-up (P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that pelvic floor exercises together with patient education can reduce urogenital distress and bathroom visits without change in fluid intake. Furthermore, when pelvic floor exercises were conducted individually, pelvic floor strength increased, but pelvic floor strength was maintained over time only for individualised pelvic floor exercises with ultrasonography guidance.

No Effect of ß-alanine on Muscle Function and Kayak Performance.

PURPOSE: If ß-alanine supplementation counteracts muscular fatigue development or improves athletic performance was investigated. METHODS: Elite kayak rowers (10 men and 7 women) were supplemented with either 80 mg·kg body mass·d of ß-alanine or placebo for 8 wk. Muscular fatigue development was investigated by applying a 2-min elbow flexor maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). EMG was recorded continuously, and voluntary activation was determined 30, 60, 90, and 115 s into the 2-min MVC. In addition, performance was evaluated as 1000-m and 5 × 250-m kayak ergometer rowing. RESULTS: Force reduction during the 2-min MVC was similar before and after supplementation with ß-alanine (30.9% ± 10.3% vs 36.0% ± 14.1%) and placebo (35.5% ± 7.7% vs 35.1% ± 8.0%). No time effect was apparent in voluntary activation during the 2-min MVC. In addition, there was no detectable effect of ß-alanine supplementation on 1000-m kayak ergometer performance (ß-alanine: 0.26% ± 0.02% vs placebo: -0.18% ± 0.02%) or accumulated 5 × 250-m time (ß-alanine: -1.0% ± 0.3% vs placebo: -1.0% ± 0.2%). In 5 × 250 m, mean power output was reduced to a similar extent from first to fifth interval before and after supplementation with ß-alanine (23% ± 11% vs 22% ± 10%) and placebo (26% ± 13% vs 20% ± 5%). CONCLUSIONS: Two-minute MVC characteristics are unaffected by ß-alanine supplementation in elite kayakers, and likewise, both a 1000-m kayak ergometer time trial lasting 4-5 min and a 5 × 250-m repeated sprint ability were unaltered by supplementation.

"Live High-Train High" increases hemoglobin mass in Olympic swimmers.

PURPOSE: This study tested whether 3-4 weeks of classical "Live High-Train High" (LHTH) altitude training increases swim-specific VO2max through increased hemoglobin mass (Hbmass). METHODS: Ten swimmers lived and trained for more than 3 weeks between 2,130 and 3,094 m of altitude, and a control group of ten swimmers followed the same training at sea-level (SL). Body composition was examined using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Hbmass was determined by carbon monoxide rebreathing. Swimming VO2peak was determined and swimming trials of 4 × 50, 200 and 3,000 m were performed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Hbmass (n = 10) was increased (P < 0.05)after altitude training by 6.2 ± 3.9 % in the LHTH group, whereas no changes were apparent in the SL group (n = 10). Swimming VO2peak was similar before and after training camps in both groups (LHTH: n = 7, SL: n = 6). Performance of 4 × 50 m at race pace was improved to a similar degree in both groups (LHTH: n = 10, SL: n = 10). Maximal speed reached in an incremental swimming step test (P = 0.051), and time to complete 3,000 m tended (P = 0.09) to be more improved after LHTH (n = 10) than SL training (n = 10). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, 3-4 weeks of classical LHTH is sufficient to increase Hbmass but exerts no effect on swimming-specific VO2peak. LHTH may improve performance more than SL training.