Last year’s International Continence Society (ICS) Scientific Meeting in Toronto offered a great learning and networking opportunities for physiotherapists from all over the world.
The 22nd Physiotherapy Forum stood out as truly exceptional! It was primarily remarkable due to the outstanding quality of its presentations. Additionally, it achieved a record attendance for us, with 240 physiotherapists participating in the Forum. The Forum remains one of the top ICS offerings at the annual meeting, allowing physiotherapists worldwide to share knowledge, network, and update their clinical practice.
The Physiotherapy Forum featured discussions on the latest advancements and treatments in physiotherapy for different conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence in patients with neurological disorders, and bowel dysfunction. Additionally, the forum engaged in a thorough debate on Ethical and Cultural Considerations in Pelvic Health Training, leading to an extensive conversation about the current status of education in pelvic health physiotherapy.
Last year, a special interest in sexual health emerged through the Physiotherapy-led roundtable and workshop. These two sessions provided cutting-edge insights into the role of physiotherapy in enhancing sexual function. Topics included the involvement of pelvic floor muscles in sexual function and response, as well as the efficacy of pelvic floor physiotherapy techniques in boosting sexual function in both healthy individuals and those with pelvic floor disorders.
Physiotherapists were represented in 5 workshops and chaired 4 of them:
W6 The Best Evidence Based Concepts of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training
W10 ICS CORE CURRICULUM (FREE): Addressing Women’s and Men’s Sexual Dysfunction – Are We Up to Date?
W11 Non-Neurogenic Female Bladder Outlet Obstruction
W18 Management of Obstetric Pelvic Floor Disorders: What Does a ‘Unicorn’ Perinatal Pelvic Floor Service Look Like?
W22 Group Intervention for Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunctions in Postmenopausal Women: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Practice
Physiotherapists were also honoured with awards:
Interventions for the conservative management of urinary incontinence during exercise in active females: a systematic review
Petter Rodrigues M1, Bérubé M1, Charette M1, McLean L1
Category Prize: Conservative Management
An exergame combining strength, balance and cognitive training with pelvic floor muscle exercises to treat older women with urgency urinary incontinence: a pre-post pilot study
Mont-Briant S, Guimarães V, de Bruin E3, de Jong J4, Swinnen N5, Thalmann M3, Dumoulin C1
Category Prize: E-Health
Assessment of pelvic floor muscle stiffness in women using shear wave elastography: an intra- and inter-rater reliability study.
Starzec-Proserpio M1, Gaudreault N2, Roch M2, Daigle F2, Bureau N3, Morin M2
Category Prize: Imaging
When can we expect clinically important differences from pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in older women?
Cacciari L1, Morin M2, Mayrand M3, Dumoulin C4
Category Prize: Rehabilitation
Effectiveness of abdominal massage versus Kinesio taping in women with chronic constipation: a randomized controlled trial
Karaaslan Y1, Karakus A2, Ogutmen Koc D3, Bayrakli A4, Toprak Celenay S5
Category Prize: Anorectal / Bowel Dysfunction
On behalf of the Physiotherapy committee, we would like to thank all the Physiotherapists that attended and/or contributed to the meeting and look forward to seeing you in Madrid this October.