RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although aging is considered a risk factor for pelvic floor muscle dysfunction (PFMD), the effect of aging on the function of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare PFM function and activity in nulliparous women in different age groups. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which 70 women with ages between 18 and 69 years were divided into five age groups for evaluation. Initially, medical histories were taken, and then the PFM function was assessed using digital palpation (Modified Oxford Scale), manometry and surface electromyography (sEMG). The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to check the differences between the groups. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to verify the correlations between age and PFM function, manometry values and sEMG. A significance level of 5% was adopted. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the different age groups in PFM digital palpation, manometry values and sEMG. There was a low negative correlation between age root mean square and peak of sEMG signals. CONCLUSION: This study found no difference in PFM function and activity between nulliparous women in the five different age groups. Future long-term large prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.
Assuntos
Fatores Etários , Eletromiografia , Músculo Esquelético/fisiologia , Diafragma da Pelve/fisiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Manometria , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Palpação , Paridade , Distúrbios do Assoalho Pélvico , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pompoir is a technique poorly studied in the literature that claims to improve pelvic floor strength and coordination. This study aims to investigate the pelvic floor muscles' coordination throughout the vaginal canal among Pompoir practitioners and non-practitioners by describing a high resolution map of pressure distribution. METHODS: This cross-sectional, study included 40 healthy women in two groups: control and Pompoir. While these women performed both sustained and "waveform" pelvic floor muscle contractions, the spatiotemporal pressure distribution in their vaginal canals was evaluated by a non-deformable probe fully instrumented with a 10×10 matrix of capacitive transducers. FINDINGS: Pompoir group was able to sustain the pressure levels achieved for a longer period (40% longer, moderate effect, P=0.04). During the "waveform" contraction task, Pompoir group achieved lower, earlier peak pressures (moderate effect, P=0.05) and decreased rates of contraction (small effect, P=0.04) and relaxation (large effect, P=0.01). During both tasks, Pompoir group had smaller relative contributions by the mid-region and the anteroposterior planes and greater contributions by the caudal and cranial regions and the latero-lateral planes. INTERPRETATION: Results suggest that specific coordination training of the pelvic floor muscles alters the pressure distribution profile, promoting a more-symmetric distribution of pressure throughout the vaginal canal. Therefore, this study suggests that pelvic floor muscles can be trained to a degree beyond strengthening by focusing on coordination, which results in changes in symmetry of the spatiotemporal pressure distribution in the vaginal canal.