Relationship of spinal curvature, mobility, and low back pain in women with and without urinary incontinence

Abstract

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship of sagittal spinal curvature, mobility, and low back pain (LBP) in women with and without urinary incontinence (UI). Materials and methods: Thirty-two women with UI (incontinence group) and 41 women without UI (control group) were included in this study. The sagittal spinal curvature and mobility were assessed with a Spinal Mouse device (IDIAG, Fehraltorf, Switzerland). Urogenital symptom distress, LBP, and disability caused by LBP were assessed using the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6), a visual analog scale (VAS), and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), respectively. Results: It was seen that the sagittal thoracic curvature, lumbar curvature, and pelvic tilt were increased in the incontinence group in comparison to the control group (P < 0.05). An increase in sagittal lumbar mobility and pelvic mobility was found in the incontinence group (P < 0.05). It was observed that 71.9% of the women with UI and 12.2% of the women without UI had LBP. There were positive correlations of the UDI-6 with the VAS (r = 0.363, P = 0.041) and the ODI (r = 0.511, P = 0.003). Conclusion: The sagittal spinal alignment and lumbopelvic hypermobility should be taken into consideration in the existence of UI.