Physical Therapy in Women With Interstitial Cystitis

Summary

There are many different treatments that doctors recommend for patients with IC/PBS. Only a few research studies have been done to evaluate treatments given to patients. Treatment choices can be of two types: drug therapy and non-drug therapy. The two treatments used in this study will be of the non-drug therapy type. One of the treatments being used in this study is called Myofascial Tissue Manipulation. This is a kind of physical therapy that is designed to work on specific muscles and tissue layers in a particular part of the body. In this study, this treatment will focus on the areas around the pelvis and the pelvic floor. The treatment will involve the physical therapist's use of hands and fingers to target specific muscles and tissues located within your pelvis, rectum, and/or vagina (the pelvic floor) as well as muscles and layers of tissue in your abdomen and legs. The other treatment being used in this study is Global Therapeutic Massage. This treatment involves the physical therapist's use of classic Western body massage techniques on the muscles of your arms, legs, hands, neck, shoulders, back, stomach, buttocks, and feet to create an overall feeling of well being.

The purpose of this research study is to find out if Pelvic Physical Therapy is safe and effective on treating symptoms in women with interstitial cystitis as compared to a full body therapeutic massage. This study will also measure the lasting effects of the treatment up to 3 months after your last study treatment.

Conditions

• Interstitial Cystitis
• Painful Bladder Syndrome

Interventions

OTHER

Global Therapeutic Massages (GTM)

Non-specific somatic treatment with full-body Western massage.

OTHER

Myofascial Tissue Manipulation (MTM)

Targeted internal and external Connective Tissue Manipulation focusing on the muscles and connective tissues of the pelvic floor, hip girdle, and abdomen.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  lead NIH

Principal Investigators

• LeRoy M Nyberg, MD, PhD · NIDDK/NIH

• Mary P Fitzgerald, MD · Loyola University

• Richard Landis, PhD · University of Pennsylvania

• Robert Mayer, MD · University of Rochester

• Emily Lukacz, MD · University of California, San Diego

• Kenneth Peters, MD · William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI

• Toby Chai, MD · University of Maryland, College Park

• Christopher Payne, MD · Stanford University

• Claire Yang, MD · University of Washington

• Phillip Hanno, MD · University of Pennsylvania

• Karl Kreder, MD · University of Iowa

• David Burks, MD · Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

• Curtis Nickel, MD · Queen's University, Ontario, Canada

• Harris Foster, MD · Yale University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2008-06-30

Primary Completion

2009-12-31

Completion

2009-12-31

Countries

• United States
• Canada

Study Locations