Electro-acupuncture (EA) can help ease stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women, suggests a study from China. In a multi-centre randomised clinical trial, 504 women with SUI were randomly assigned to receive 18 sessions of EA (at lumbosacral acupoints) or sham EA (non-penetrating needling of non-acupoints). At the end of six weeks of treatment, EA showed a clear benefit over sham, with significantly less urine leakage and fewer diary reports of episodes of stress incontinence. The benefits of EA versus sham were maintained at six month follow up. The authors also note that while the safety and effects of EA for SUI are comparable to those of pelvic floor muscle training, EA produced a rapid response to a short treatment period and had good compliance, whereas pelvic floor muscle training takes at least three months and compliance is generally poor.
Effect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Leakage Among Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017 Jun 27;317(24):2493-2501.
Quelle: www.jcm.co.uk