Men who develop incontinence after undergoing prostate surgery may benefit from behavioural therapy, a new study shows.
US researchers recruited 208 men for a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of behavioural therapy. Participants were aged 51 to 84 years and had been experiencing incontinence for between one and 17 years following surgery to remove their prostate. After eight weeks of treatment, the researchers found that men who underwent behavioural therapy typically experienced a 55 per cent reduction in episodes of incontinence, down from 28 instances to just 13 per week, on average. Improvements continued to be seen for the next 12 months, according to a report of the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study authors concluded: “Among patients with post-prostatectomy incontinence for at least one year, eight weeks of behavioural therapy, compared with a delayed-treatment control, resulted in fewer incontinence episodes.”
Incontinence is a common occurrence after prostate removal, with figures suggesting that up to half of men who undergo the procedure have urinary problems a year later.
Men who develop incontinence after undergoing prostate surgery may benefit from behavioural therapy, a new study shows.
US researchers recruited 208 men for a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of behavioural therapy. Participants were aged 51 to 84 years and had been experiencing incontinence for between one and 17 years following surgery to remove their prostate. After eight weeks of treatment, the researchers found that men who underwent behavioural therapy typically experienced a 55 per cent reduction in episodes of incontinence, down from 28 instances to just 13 per week, on average. Improvements continued to be seen for the next 12 months, according to a report of the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study authors concluded: “Among patients with post-prostatectomy incontinence for at least one year, eight weeks of behavioural therapy, compared with a delayed-treatment control, resulted in fewer incontinence episodes.”
Incontinence is a common occurrence after prostate removal, with figures suggesting that up to half of men who undergo the procedure have urinary problems a year later.