Stress incontinence is a condition I frequently help in my acupuncture practice. It’s a common issue among women that causes involuntary urine leakage during everyday activities like coughing, sneezing, or physical exercise. For many of my patients, stress incontinence can significantly impact their confidence and quality of life, and it’s often a source of embarrassment that can keep them from seeking help.
Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous women and men struggling with stress incontinence through acupuncture and electro acupuncture. Often, my patients are also going to pelvic floor therapy and doing pelvic floor muscle training. In this blog post, I’ll share insights from a recent clinical study that supports what I’ve experienced in my practice—the addition of electroacupuncture to pelvic floor muscle training, can provide significant relief for women with stress incontinence, offering a natural and effective way to manage this condition.
Table of Contents
Overview of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT)
Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT) is a non-invasive therapy for strengthening the muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and rectum. These muscles, known as the pelvic floor muscles, play a crucial role in maintaining continence by helping to control the release of urine. When they become weakened, it can lead to stress incontinence, where small amounts of urine leak out during activities like coughing, sneezing, or exercise.
Pelvic floor muscle training involves performing specific exercises designed to strengthen these muscles. Commonly known as Kegel exercises, these movements require patients to contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles in a controlled manner. The exercises can be done almost anywhere and are simple to perform once learned, though proper guidance and consistency are key to success.
Electroacupuncture for Stress Incontinence
Within acupuncture theory, stress incontinence may result from Qi deficiency or Qi stagnation. Electroacupuncture helps restore balance and strengthen these energy pathways by stimulating specific acupuncture points associated with urinary control.
Electroacupuncture provides gentle electrical stimulation on the acupuncture needles.
From a Western medical perspective, electroacupuncture on the sacrum and lower back works by targeting the nerves and muscles involved in bladder control. The mild electrical impulses enhance the effects of traditional acupuncture by:
- Stimulating the nerves that control the pelvic floor muscles, particularly the sacral nerve (S3) and pudendal nerve, which play key roles in bladder support.
- Improving blood flow and muscle tone in the pelvic region, which can help to strengthen the urethral sphincter and reduce urine leakage.
- Enhancing neuromuscular coordination, allowing the muscles to respond more effectively to sudden increases in abdominal pressure (such as when coughing or sneezing).
For stress incontinence, electroacupuncture is often applied at key acupuncture points, such as BL33 and BL35, located in the lower back and sacral region. These points are chosen for their direct connection to the pelvic floor muscles and urinary system. The treatment typically lasts 20-30 minutes, and patients often report feeling a mild tingling sensation during the session.
In my practice, I’ve seen firsthand how electroacupuncture can be a powerful addition to SUI treatment.
Study Results: Electroacupuncture with Pelvic Floor Muscle Training
A recent clinical study explored the effectiveness of combining pelvic floor muscle training with electroacupuncture for treating stress incontinence in women (1). This randomized, controlled trial involved 304 women across four hospitals in China, comparing two groups: one receiving PFMT along with electroacupuncture and the other receiving PFMT with sham (placebo) electroacupuncture. The study lasted eight weeks, with follow-up assessments up to 32 weeks.
Acupuncture Treatment Protocols:
In this study, the electroacupuncture (EA) treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) involved specific acupuncture points located in the lumbosacral region, particularly:
- BL33 (Zhongliao): Located in the third sacral foramen.
- BL35 (Huiyang): Located 0.5 cun lateral to the extremity of the coccyx.
Electroacupuncture Stimulation: The needles were stimulated with a continuous wave of 50 Hz from an electro-acupuncture device. The current intensity ranged from 1 to 5 mA, adjusted to a level of comfort.
Key Study Findings:
Reduction in Urine Leakage: Women who received PFMT combined with electroacupuncture experienced a significantly greater reduction in urine leakage than those in the PFMT + sham EA group. After eight weeks, the EA group had an average reduction of 9.8 grams of urine leakage, compared to 5.8 grams in the sham EA group.
Fewer Incontinence Episodes: The study also found that women in the PFMT + EA group had fewer incontinence episodes per day, with a higher percentage of participants achieving a reduction of 50% or more in urine leakage.
Long-Term Benefits: These improvements were sustained for up to 32 weeks after treatment.
This study underscores the effectiveness of adding electroacupuncture to pelvic floor muscle training in treating stress urinary incontinence. The combination of these therapies offers a more comprehensive, holistic approach, addressing both the physical and energetic aspects of bladder control.
Study Overview: 2017 Electroacupuncture for Stress Urinary Incontinence
Another randomized clinical trial published in 2017 examined electroacupuncture in reducing urine leakage in women with stress urinary incontinence (2). The study involved 504 women across 12 hospitals in China, and participants were randomly assigned to either an EA group or a sham EA group. Each group received 18 sessions over six weeks, and the effects were measured through a variety of outcomes, including urine leakage and the number of incontinence episodes.
The acupuncture treatment protocol in this study was the same as the previous one.
2017 Key Findings:
Reduction in Urine Leakage: After six weeks, the EA group experienced a significantly greater reduction in urine leakage, with an average decrease of 9.9 grams, compared to 2.6 grams in the sham EA group. This resulted in a mean difference of 7.4 grams between the groups.
Incontinence Episodes: The EA group also showed a greater reduction in 72-hour incontinence episodes. By the end of the six weeks, the EA group had a reduction of 2.9 episodes, compared to 2.0 episodes in the sham group. These effects continued to improve over time, with greater differences observed at weeks 15 to 18 and weeks 27 to 30.
Clinically Meaningful Improvements: By the end of the trial, 64.6% of participants in the EA group had experienced at least a 50% reduction in urine leakage, compared to only 21.7% in the sham group. Similarly, the EA group saw greater improvements in incontinence episode reduction and self-reported quality of life measures, which were sustained even after 30 weeks.
The study concluded that electroacupuncture significantly reduced urine leakage and improved symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, with lasting effects that extended well beyond the treatment period. Additionally, the treatment was well-tolerated, with only minimal adverse effects such as mild fatigue or subcutaneous hematoma.
Feel better, Get Acupuncture
Stress incontinence can have a significant impact on your daily life, but there are effective, holistic treatment options available that go beyond traditional approaches. In my practice, I’ve found that combining pelvic floor therapy combined with acupuncture and electroacupuncture offers powerful results.
If you are struggling with stress urinary incontinence, I encourage you to explore how electroacupuncture can be an effective part of a personalized treatment plan. Don’t let stress incontinence hold you back—take the first step toward regaining control and improving your well-being.
References:
- Tang K, Su T, Fu L, et al. Effect of electroacupuncture added to pelvic floor muscle training in women with stress urinary incontinence: A randomized clinical trial. Eur Urol Focus. 2023;9(2):352-360. doi:10.1016/j.euf.2022.10.005
- Liu Z, Liu Y, Xu H, et al. Effect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Leakage Among Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2017;317(24):2493-2501. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.7220.
