Physiotherapy Practice and Research - Volume 42, issue 2

Authors: Trotti, Giulia | Aspesi, Valentina | De Ambroggi, Lorena | Cimolin, Veronica | Seitanidis, Ionathan | Brugliera, Luigia | Capodaglio, Paolo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Urinary incontinence (UI) is frequently associated with obesity. The prevalence of the different UI types in women with obesity remains scarcely investigated and controversial. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the different types of UI (stress urinary incontinence , SUI, urge , UUI, or mixed , MUI) in a large sample of female patients with obesity by means of a specific questionnaire and non-invasive tests. METHODS: In this observational study, 248 obese female patients (BMI≥30 Kg/m2, age: 62.8 + 10.9 years) admitted to hospital from April 2019 to September 2019 for …a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program were recruited for this study. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - short form (ICIQ-sf) was used to screen the presence of symptoms of UI and to differentiate the different UI types. Patients with ICIQ-sf score≥4, were asked to undertake the Pad Test for quantifying urine leaks under stress. RESULTS: 61.69% of our sample presented UI symptoms. The prevalence of UI appears to be lower in younger age groups (57% in 31–46 years of age and 52% in 47–62 years of age) and higher (69%) between 63 and 79 years of age. MUI was the most frequent form (57.5%), followed by UUI (21.5%) and SUI (20.9%). SUI was most prevalent in younger participants (31–46 years old). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that UI has a high prevalence in females with obesity and it is not an exclusive concern of older women. This high prevalence calls for specific rehabilitation interventions within multidisciplinary programs. Show more

Keywords: Urinary incontinence, prevalence, obesity, quality of life, rehabilitation

DOI: 10.3233/PPR-200490

Citation: Physiotherapy Practice and Research, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 195-200, 2021

Authors: Simoncsics, Eszter | Stauder, Adrienne

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: PURPOSE: We evaluated the attitudes of nurses compared to physiotherapy assistants and medical masseurs (PAMs) regarding various treatment modalities used in the treatment of low-back pain (LBP) as their opinions might influence the patients’ attitudes to therapy. DESIGN: Cross sectional self-reported questionnaire survey. METHODS: 175 Hungarian health care providers completed questionnaires evaluating their opinions on the importance of various therapeutic interventions and the need for initiation of LBP treatment. Their personal LBP history and fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ) were also investigated. FINDINGS: The importance of exercise therapy (p  = 0.024) and massage (p  < 0.01) was evaluated …higher by the PAMs, while medication (p  = 0.04) was scored higher by the nurses. Those who experienced moderate or severe LBP were more positive about pain medication than to those with mild pain (p  = 0.048). Years in health care work had only a weak association with opinions. The nurses reported more fear-avoidance beliefs than the PAMs about both physical activity (p  = 0.024) and work (p  = 0.021). Those who experienced moderate or severe LBP had higher FABQ scores (p  = 0,076), however the difference was significant only for FABQ activity (p  = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that professional background and years of experience can influence the attitudes towards the importance of certain therapies, although these differences were small. Experiencing moderate or severe LBP increased the fear-avoidance beliefs about work and physical activity independently of the professional background. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our study draws the attention to the importance of standardization of the information to be passed to the patients and to the need of discussing personal experiences and beliefs during professional training. Show more

Keywords: Attitude, low back pain, fear avoidance beliefs, health care providers

DOI: 10.3233/PPR-200401

Citation: Physiotherapy Practice and Research, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 201-210, 2021