Electroacupuncture for Early Urinary Incontinence After Prostate Surgery

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and distressing side effect following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, often managed slowly and incompletely through standard pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). This article reviews a prospective, randomized clinical trial that tested electroacupuncture (EA) as a safe and effective adjunct therapy to accelerate recovery. The trial included 110 men with early UI, who received EA at the sacral Baliao acupoints (BL 32, BL 33, and BL 34) for six weeks, alongside PFMT. The research, rooted in the potential of EA to stimulate sacral nerves, yielded robust positive findings. At the six-week mark, twice as many men in the EA group achieved urinary continence (43.6%) compared to the placebo group (21.8%). The EA group also reported greater reductions in daily urine leakage, required fewer pads, and saw improved quality-of-life measures. Notably, the treatment showed enhanced efficacy in patients whose surgeons preserved the nerves controlling the urinary sphincter. While EA primarily speeds up recovery rather than changing the ultimate trajectory, the benefit of regaining continence sooner provides clear clinical and quality-of-life advantages during the challenging early postoperative period. These findings strongly support the integration of EA into standard post-prostatectomy rehabilitation protocols.