The effect of sujok therapy on urinary incontinence and quality of life in postmenopausal women

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Sujok therapy on urinary incontinence and quality of life in postmenopausal women. Material and Method: The study was conducted as a pretest-posttest randomized controlled experimental design. The population of the study consisted of postmenopausal women registered at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Family Health Center in the city center of Bingöl, whose urinary incontinence was identified using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form (ICIQ-SF). The sample of the study included 120 postmenopausal women who had complaints of urinary incontinence (intervention group=60, control group=60). For the intervention group, Sujok therapy was administered by applying apple seeds to the bladder correspondence point on the right hand for 4–8 hours daily over a 15-day period. Data were gathered through the Participant Information Form, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the Incontinence Quality of Life Scale (I-QOL). Results: The study found that sujok therapy significantly reduced urinary incontinence (p<0.001) and improved quality of life among postmenopausal women (p<0.001). In the intervention group, analysis of the subdimensions of the Incontinence Quality of Life Scale revealed significant improvements in behavioral limitations, psychosocial impact, and social isolation (p<0.001).