Combined Effects of Swiss Ball Exercises and Diaphragmatic Breathing in Pregnant Females

Sponsor
Riphah International University
Study ID
NCT07520396
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

  • Muscle Strength
  • Quality of Life
  • Urinary Incontinence

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
FEMALE
Age
20 Years - 40 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • kegels exercises — OTHER
    kegels exercises will be considered the baseline treatment for both groups
  • Diaphragmatic breathing — OTHER
    There will be total 12 sessions carried for 6 weeks. 3-4 sessions will be given per week. In each session, patients will be exposed to moderate intensity Swiss ball exercises will include, Swiss ball wall squats, pelvic tilts, bridging with legs on Swiss ball and ball squeeze. Each exercise will be carried out in 3 sets of 10 repetitions for 20-25 minutes session. After each set, patient will be asked to follow the diaphragmatic breathing by deep inhaling through nose and exhaling with pursed lips for 3-4 seconds. During the breathing, patient will hold onto pelvic contractions kept on for 10-15 minutes.

Study Details

30 to 60 percent of the pregnant females experience stress urinary incontinence depending on various factors like trimester, parity and body weight. Stress urinary incontinence is a common yet often underreported condition affecting pregnant women, characterized by involuntary leakage of urine during physical activities such as coughing, sneezing, or exercising. Stress urinary incontinence majorly occurs due to increased intra-abdominal pressure and weakened pelvic floor muscles which are further strained during pregnancy. Despite its impact on quality of life, awareness and management remains inadequate. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles plays a critical role in managing stress urinary incontinence and Swiss ball exercises have emerged as an effective and low impact method to improve core stability and pelvic floor muscle strength. These exercises engage deep abdominal and pelvic muscles in a functional and dynamic way, potentially enhancing both physical and psychological well-being during pregnancy. . The study will be conducted as a randomized control trial involving females with stress urinary incontinence in Zia Hospital Lahore and Ittefaq Hospital Lahore. The study will be completed within 10 months of synopsis approval. A non-probability sampling technique will be employed and 42 patients will be enrolled after randomization. Participants will be divided into two groups. Group A will undergo a structured program involving Swiss ball exercises combined with diaphragmatic breathing. Group B will receive Swiss ball exercises without diaphragmatic breathing. Kegel exercises will be considered the baseline treatment. Outcome measures will include syptoms of stress urinary incontinence (using International Consultation Incontinence Questionnaire), pelvic floor muscle strength (assessed through standardized tools i.e. Modified Oxford Scale) and self-reported quality of life (using validated questionnaires i.e. King's Health Questionnaire). The data collected will be analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics version 25.

Key Dates

First listed
Apr 9, 2026
Start date
Aug 31, 2025
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2026
Completion
Sep 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
42 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Diaphragmatic breathing
    There will be total 12 sessions carried for 6 weeks. 3-4 sessions will be given per week. In each session, patients will be exposed to moderate intensity Swiss ball exercises will include, Swiss ball wall squats, pelvic tilts, bridging with legs on Swiss ball and ball squeeze. Each exercise will be carried out in 3 sets of 10 repetitions for 20-25 minutes session. After each set, patient will be asked to follow the diaphragmatic breathing by deep inhaling through nose and exhaling with pursed lips for 3-4 seconds. During the breathing, patient will hold onto pelvic contractions kept on for 10-15 minutes.
  • Active Comparator: swiss ball exercises
    There will be total 12 sessions carried for 6 weeks. 3-4 sessions will be given per week. In each session, patients will be exposed to moderate intensity Swiss ball exercises will include, Swiss ball wall squats, pelvic tilts, bridging with legs on Swiss ball and ball squeeze. Each exercise will be carried out in 3 sets of 10 repetitions for 20-25 minutes session.

Primary Outcome Measure

Incontinence questionnaire [ Time Frame: 8 weeks ]

Central Contacts

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