The Effect of Footwear Generated Biomechanical Manipulation on Symptoms of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Brief Summary

FGBMM (footwear generated biomechanical manipulation) effects neuromuscular patterns of pelvic muscles. While there have been no published studies to our knowledge investigating the effect of FGBMM on urinary incontinence, FGBMM causes perturbations in balance and gait that create dynamics similar to dynamic lumbosacral stabilization exercises. The investigators propose that FGBMM induces the same bio-mechanical improvements as LPSE (lumbopelvic stabilization exercises) which have shown benefit for incontinence. Instead of instructing patients to co-contract the lower trunk and pelvic floor muscles as commonly done for LPSE, the shoes used in FGBMM can be calibrated in a way that causes this co-contraction to occur without the patient realizing. Beneficial pelvis and spine positioning can also be accomplished by strategic placement of the pods without having to instruct the patient on complicated maneuvers. Capitalizing on the excellent adherence and clinical benefits of FGBMM on related conditions, the investigators propose to evaluate the effects of FGBMM in addition to pelvic floor therapy for improving the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence in an urban inner city population.