HOme PElvic Floor Improvement Trainer Trial (HoPE FIT)

April 21, 2025 updated by: University of Colorado, Denver

Using a Perineometer Device With Gamification to Improve Symptom Outcomes in Pediatric Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

This study will gauge the efficacy of a home biofeedback treatment device for pelvic floor dysfunction/voiding dysfunction and pelvic pain. Investigators will test the utility of this device as a treatment alternative and/or temporary treatment for a patient's symptoms prior to or perhaps in lieu of their physical therapy appointment.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study aims to determine if a special device can help children with pelvic floor problems. The pelvic floor issues under investigation include difficulty controlling urination and ongoing pain in the lower belly. The study will explore whether the device helps children gain better control over urination.

It will also investigate if the device contributes to the reduction of pelvic pain experienced by children. Furthermore, the study will analyze if the device leads to improvement in how the body functions during urination. The consistency with which children use the device and adhere to instructions will be monitored. Finally, the study includes an assessment of whether children find the device acceptable for use.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

150

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Dysfunctional voiding symptoms without chronic pelvic pain.
  • Chronic pelvic pain with or without dysfunctional voiding symptoms.
  • Daytime enuresis, nocturnal enuresis, frequency, urgency, dysuria
  • 8 years - 18 years, no one under 8 and no one over 18.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Has seen a physical therapist for traditional physical therapy of the pelvic floor due to urinary symptoms or chronic pelvic pain within the last 12 months.

Note: This would include patients who begin physical therapy for their pelvic floor outside of the study while enrolled in the study.

-All patients with the following conditions: severe developmental delay such as CP or wheelchair bound, cannot eat by mouth, mechanical ventilation dependence, etc.

  • Nonverbal or unable to effectively communicate needs and preferences.
  • Within the voiding dysfunction group, a diagnosis of a congenital GU anomaly (bladder exstrophy, cloacal anomaly, spina bifida, etc.)
  • No initial medication usage will be excluded; however, if the patient begins a new medication or treatment regimen during the study, the patient will be excluded.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Voiding Dysfunction
Patients with voiding dysfunction only and no pelvic pain symptoms will use the home pelvic floor trainer daily for 2 months.

The intervention utilizes a perineometer device with biofeedback features.

This device employs external electrodes to measure pelvic floor muscle strength. It then provides real-time feedback through a smartphone application during exercise sessions. The application uses gamification to engage users and track progress. Patients can choose between two games: a bird game or a space-themed game. In the bird game, patients activate their pelvic floor muscles to make the bird fly upward. In the space game, pelvic floor contractions fire a laser or activate a shield. A visual bar displays the strength of pelvic floor contractions. Games are designed to be played for 5 minutes daily, 7 days a week, with increasing difficulty as the user progresses through levels.

Experimental: Pelvic pain
Patients with pelvic pain with or without voiding dysfunction symptoms will use the home pelvic floor trainer daily for 2 months.

The intervention utilizes a perineometer device with biofeedback features.

This device employs external electrodes to measure pelvic floor muscle strength. It then provides real-time feedback through a smartphone application during exercise sessions. The application uses gamification to engage users and track progress. Patients can choose between two games: a bird game or a space-themed game. In the bird game, patients activate their pelvic floor muscles to make the bird fly upward. In the space game, pelvic floor contractions fire a laser or activate a shield. A visual bar displays the strength of pelvic floor contractions. Games are designed to be played for 5 minutes daily, 7 days a week, with increasing difficulty as the user progresses through levels.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dysfunctional Voiding symptom scale (30 point scale)
Time Frame: 0 weeks baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks patients will take the DVSS survey
this survey will be given to all participants and is the primary outcome of the DV group. This will be attained at the initial urology consult visit, 4-week, and 8-week visits. The DVSS is a 30 point scale with higher scores representing more severe voiding dysfunction symptoms. Males with score greater than 9 points are considered to have voiding dysfunction, and females with score greater than 6 are considered to have voiding dysfunction.
0 weeks baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks patients will take the DVSS survey
McGill Pain Scale (Short Form- points scale)
Time Frame: 0 weeks baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks patients will take the McGill pain Scale Short Form survey
this survey will be given to all participants and is the primary outcome of the Pelvic Pain group. This will be attained at the initial urology consult visit, 4-week, and 8-week visits. total of 22 items with 0-10 numerical response options, 0 being no pain and the higher score representing more pain)
0 weeks baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks patients will take the McGill pain Scale Short Form survey

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-Void Residual Volume (mL)
Time Frame: 0 weeks baseline, 8 weeks in-person visits investigators will attain PVR
PVR volume > 10% normal will be considered elevated PVR. This will be attained from all participants at an initial baseline urology visit as part of standard of care, and the 8-week in-person visit.
0 weeks baseline, 8 weeks in-person visits investigators will attain PVR
Uroflowmetry
Time Frame: Investigators will attain uroflowmetry at the same time as the PVR measurement, at initial baseline (0 weeks) and last (8 weeks) in-person visits.

Uroflowmetry parameters will be assessed at the initial and 8-week visits. These parameters include:

A normal, bell-shaped curve.

A tower flow curve, suggesting detrusor overactivity.

A staccato flow curve, suggesting external sphincter activity.

An intermittent or interrupted flow curve, suggesting underactive detrusor or dysfunctional voiding.

A plateau shape curve, suggesting bladder outlet obstruction

Investigators will attain uroflowmetry at the same time as the PVR measurement, at initial baseline (0 weeks) and last (8 weeks) in-person visits.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kelly Harris, MD, University of Colorado, Denver

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 27, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 27, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

April 3, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2025

Last Verified

April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 24-1026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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