Observation of the Therapeutic Effect of Ankle Fascia Manipulation on Urinary Incontinence.

AIMS: To investigate the association between a standardized ankle fascial manipulation protocol and improvements in symptoms and quality of life for patients with urinary incontinence (UI).

METHODS

This retrospective study reviewed the clinical records of 81 patients (aged 30-75) with stress, urgency, or mixed UI who completed a standardized intervention. The protocol consisted of 16 sessions of ankle fascial manipulation over 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) score and 24-h pad test volume. Secondary outcomes included the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ). Assessments were performed at baseline, 8 weeks, and a 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Significant improvements were observed. The mean ICIQ-SF score decreased from 14.3 ± 3.2 to 6.8 ± 2.9 (p < 0.001), and the 24-h pad test volume reduced by 63.7% (p < 0.001). Patients with stress UI demonstrated the greatest reduction in leakage (72.4%), compared to urgency (54.8%) and mixed (61.3%) UI (p = 0.023). Quality of life improved significantly, with the mean total KHQ score decreasing from 65.3 to 31.8 (p < 0.001). Improvements were largely maintained at the 3-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Ankle fascial manipulation was associated with significant improvements in urinary incontinence symptoms and quality of life, particularly for stress UI. These findings suggest it may be a promising complementary therapy. Rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm efficacy and investigate underlying mechanisms.