Can pelvic floor exercises help pouch patients regain control?
NCT ID NCT03148600
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether physiotherapist-led pelvic floor and bowel training could improve bowel function in people who had ileo-anal pouch surgery for ulcerative colitis or familial adenomatous polyposis. Fifty-three participants were randomly assigned to either the behavioural training or standard care. The main goal was to see if the training led to better bowel control and quality of life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Pelvic floor and bowel behavioural training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to improve bowel control and quality of life after pouch surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with 53 participants. The intervention is behavioural, so results may vary and may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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53 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2017
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Proven (documented) history of Ulcerative Colitis or Familial Adenomatous Polyposis * Proctocolectomy and awaiting ileo-anal pouch formation or have had ileo-anal pouch created and are waiting for stoma reversal or have had stoma reversal within the last 60 days Exclusion Criteria: * Primary sclerosing cholangitis * Significant medical or psychiatric comorbidity that in the opinion of the investigators would interfere with bowel function or adherence to the protocol * Clinically significant narcotic or substance abuse that in the opinion of the investigators would interfere with bowel function or adherence to the protocol * Recognised eating disorder * Non- English speaking or illiterate * Pregnancy * Current participant in another trial
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Alfred Health
Prahran, Victoria, 3181, Australia
-
St Vincent's Hospital
Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia
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