Effects of different regimens for pelvic floor muscle training in young continent women: Randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Background: Physical therapy is recommended as first-line treatment to urinary incontinence (UI), and pelvic floor muscles (PFM) training is one of the most used resources for this purpose, no ideal PFM training protocol has been established.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to verify whether more daily sessions of PFM training lead to better PFM function.

Methods: Twenty-five young continent women volunteered and were randomly assigned to 2 different groups; group 1, in which they performed one PFM training session daily, and group 2, in which they performed 3 daily PFM training sessions. All volunteers were evaluated regarding PFM function, based on the Modified Oxford Scale, maximum voluntary contraction, with a manometer, and PFM activation, with electromyography. Both groups trained during 8 consecutive weeks and were evaluated before and after treatment. All evaluations had the reproducibility tested by intraclass correlation coefficients. Statistical analyzes included data normality (Shapiro-Wilks), intragroup (Wilcoxon) and intergroup (Mann-Whitney U) comparisons. Effect sizes were calculated to all variables analyzed. Significance level was set al p < 0.05.

Results: Even though an increase in PFM strength, pressure and muscle activation was achieved by both groups (p < 0.05, effect sizes from 0.24 to 0.81), no differences between groups for any variables were detected (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The number of daily training sessions does not interfere in the improvement of PFM function in young women without PFM dysfunction.

Keywords: Evaluation; Manometer; Pelvic floor muscles function; Strength training; Surface electromyography.