High-intensity PFMT combined with BT is more effective than BT alone in the short term for treating UI or SUI. It appears that the combination therapy may also lead to greater benefits for patients with UUI and MUI. Based on the results of this study, further studies with larger sample sizes (for UUI) and long-term follow-ups are warranted.

No abstract

It appears that the addition of KT to abdominal exercises in the postnatal physiotherapy program provides greater benefit for the abdominal recovery in women with cesarean section. Further studies with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up are needed to verify these results.

No abstract

Introduction Breast cancer survivors with secondary upper limb lymphoedema (ULL) may report a wide range of self‐reported symptoms. At the moment, no overview of ULL‐specific symptoms is available. The first aim, therefore, was to compare the prevalence rates of self‐reported signs and symptoms in people with and without secondary ULL due to breast cancer treatment. The second aim was to determine whether symptoms of lymphoedema could be predictive for the development of ULL. The third aim was to describe the association between the presence/severity of symptoms and the presence/severity of ULL. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Medline, Scopus, CINAHL and EMBASE databases, with key words related to breast cancer, symptoms and ULL. Results Twenty‐nine articles were eligible. The most frequently reported signs and symptoms were swelling (80.9%) and heaviness (66.7%) in the ULL group and tenderness (37%) and numbness (27%) in the non‐ULL group. Perceived larger arm size, as well as feelings of arm tightness, stiffness, puffiness, pain, sensory disturbances and functional changes were predictive for the development of ULL. Moderate correlations were found between the presence of swelling, firmness in the past year and tightness now and severity of ULL. There was also moderate correlation between the presence of swelling and heaviness now and the presence of ULL. Conclusions Swelling and heaviness are the most commonly reported symptoms in patients with ULL. The presences of these two symptoms are moderately correlated with the presence and/or severity of ULL. Although limited information regarding the predictive self‐reported symptoms for the development of ULL was found. Further research with standardised definitions of ULL and validated questionnaires for self‐reported signs and symptoms are needed to confirm which signs and symptoms are related to ULL and which to other upper limb morbidities.

No abstract

No abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of abdominal massage on the severity of constipation, bowel function, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with functional chronic constipation in a randomized placebo-controlled design. Methods Seventy-four patients diagnosed with functional constipation according to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria were included. Patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group (abdominal massage plus lifestyle advice) or the control group (placebo therapeutic ultrasound plus lifestyle advice). Abdominal massage or placebo ultrasound was applied for 4 weeks. The primary outcome measure was the Constipation Severity Instrument score. Bowel diary data and the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire score were used as secondary outcome measures. Differences in outcome measures within and between groups were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results Although constipation severity, bowel function indicators (defecation frequency and duration and stool consistency), and QoL were found to improve significantly over time in both groups, improvements in both primary and secondary outcomes were much more significant in the abdominal massage group. In addition, group × time interaction effects were found to be significant for constipation severity, bowel function findings, and QoL. There were approximately 70% and 28% reductions in constipation severity, 56% and 38% improvement rates in QoL, and 70% and 43% increases in defecation frequency in the intervention and placebo groups, respectively. Conclusions Abdominal massage should be one of the first-line conservative approaches in the management of functional chronic constipation. Further randomized placebo-controlled studies with long-term follow-up are needed. Impact For functional constipation, which is a common gastrointestinal problem, abdominal massage should be considered as an option in first-line therapy because of its effect beyond the placebo effect. Lay summary If you have functional constipation, your physical therapist may be able to provide abdominal massage to help reduce your symptoms.