PURPOSE The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a 6-week sEMG-biofeedback-assisted pelvic floor muscle training program on pelvic floor muscle activity in young continent women. METHODS Pelvic floor muscle activity was recorded using a vaginal probe during five experimental trials. Biofeedback training was continued for 6 weeks, 3 times a week. Muscle strenghtening and endurance e...

OBJECTIVE To investigate morphological and functional changes after pelvic floor muscle training in women with pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS This randomized controlled trial was conducted at a university hospital and a physical therapy clinic. One hundred nine women with pelvic organ prolapse stages I, II, and III were randomly allocated by a computer-generated random number system to pelvic...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare changes in the mobility of the pelvic floor muscle during the abdominal drawing-in maneuver, maximal expiration, and pelvic floor muscle maximal contraction. [Subjects] Thirty healthy adults participated in this study (15 men and 15 women). [Methods] All participants performed a bridge exercise and abdominal curl-up during the abdominal drawing...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the effect of pelvic floor exercises on pelvic floor muscle strength could be detected via ultrasonography in patients with urinary incontinence. [Subjects and Methods] Of 282 incontinent patients, 116 participated in the study and were randomly divided into a pelvic floor muscle training (n=65) group or control group (n=51). The pelvic fl...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To gain an in-depth understanding of women's experiences of performing pelvic floor muscle exercises for urinary incontinence and the impact on their sexuality. BACKGROUND Urinary incontinence is not a life-threatening disorder; however, it has been shown to have detrimental effects on quality of life in terms of psychological, social and sexual dysfunction. Pelvic floor m...

Clinical measurement of pelvic floor muscle activity commonly involves techniques that are both physically and psychologically invasive. This study investigated transabdominal application of ultrasound to measure pelvic floor muscle action. The specific aims were to establish the face validity of ultrasound measures of displacement of the posterior bladder wall as a reflection of pelvic floor m...

Methods One hundred and three nulliparous women attending the routine ultrasound scan at 18 weeks of pregnancy were recruited to the study. Background variables and continence status were registered in a structured interview. Women reporting urinary incontinence once per week or more during the last month were categorised as incontinent. All women were instructed in pelvic floor anatomy and how...

OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of pelvic floor muscle training in 46 nulliparous pregnant women. METHODS The women were divided into 2 groups: an exercise group and a control group. Functional evaluation of the pelvic floor muscle was performed by digital vaginal palpation using the strength scale described by Ortiz and by a perineometer (with and with...