# An Innovative Rehabilitation Approach for Women with Anal Incontinence

> **NIH NIH R01** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $502,773

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
The current proposal is focused on examining whether a novel resistance exercise program for the
pelvic floor will strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improve symptoms in women with anal
incontinence. Anal incontinence is a significant public health issue that is estimated to impact 7-
15% of women. Traditional rehabilitation strategies such as Kegel exercises and biofeedback are a
noninvasive strategy designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, however, these exercises are
performed with no resistance. There is a large body of evidence indicating that for muscle
strengthening and hypertrophy to occur, exercises must be performed against resistance. Therefore,
we have designed a novel exercise program for the pelvic floor that incorporates principals of
resistance training known to be effective in other muscles in the body. The long-term goal of this
research is to determine the most appropriate noninvasive strategies and interventions to improve
pelvic floor function and symptoms of anal incontinence. This project is the first step in achieving this
goal. The overall purpose of the current proposal is to determine whether novel physical therapy
interventions are more effective than traditional biofeedback strategies in the treatment of anal
incontinence. The specific aims of the proposal are: (1) To describe the use of the Functional Lumen
Imaging Probe (FLIP) for pelvic floor exercise; (2) To determine whether eccentric, concentric, or
isometric exercise training of the pelvic floor has a positive impact on the pelvic floor muscles and on
symptoms of anal incontinence compared to traditional biofeedback training; (3) To determine
whether using the FLIP in the vagina is as effective as its use in the anal canal for treatment of anal
incontinence. To test these aims, the approach includes a randomized controlled exercise trial with
use of validated measures of muscle function, muscle hypertrophy and validated symptom measures.
This proposal describes an innovative approach to rehabilitation of the pelvic floor muscles that will
provide information about pelvic floor function and that has the potential to shift the treatment
paradigm for women with pelvic floor disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10194563
- **Project number:** 5R01HD088688-05
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lori J Tuttle
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $502,773
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10194563

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10194563, An Innovative Rehabilitation Approach for Women with Anal Incontinence (5R01HD088688-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10194563. Licensed CC0.

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