A video game that helps treat urinary leaks: this is what researchers at the University of Montreal tested with a group of 24 women over the age of 65 who suffer from regular episodes of urinary incontinence. For twelve weeks, these women were invited to follow a new kind of rehabilitation program. It was simply a question of practicing the dance exercises presented by means of a video game.
Dr Chantal Dumoulin of the University of Montreal, main author of this study, had the idea of complementing the classic rehabilitation exercises of the perineum with music and dance, in order to make these exercises more fun and thus make women want to come to the rehabilitation course every week. “” Adherence to the program is a key success factor: the more we practice, the more we strengthen our pelvic floor muscles. Our challenge was to motivate women to come each week “insists the doctor, a specialist in gerontology. “Little by little, this dance class became a joyful rendezvous that they would not have missed under any circumstances!”
It is not only for its playful side that Dr Dumoulin chose dance, but also because it makes perineal rehabilitation exercises less static and more functional.
According to a recent survey, 75% of women in France would admit to having already been confronted with the problem of urinary leaks. This can be caused by a weakening of the perineum (especially during pregnancy or menopause), by certain neurological disorders (such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease) or by taking certain medications, such as antidepressants. .
