A pubococcygeal exercise program for simple urinary stress incontinence: applicability to the female client with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Five women with multiple sclerosis (MS) and simple urinary stress incontinence were informally evaluated and taught a program of pubococcygeal exercises to determine if inadvertent loss of urine during activities which increase intraabdominal pressure could be improved or eliminated. A correlation seemed to exist between the client's ability to experience vaginal contraction during sexual climax and elimination or improvement of simple urinary stress incontinence using a pubococcygeal exercise program. The purpose of this article is to encourage nurses to consider a pubococcygeal teaching program for treatment of simple urinary stress incontinence in female clients with MS who do experience vaginal contraction during sexual climax.