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Pelvic muscle profile types in response to pelvic muscle exercise

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to describe the contractile response of pelvic muscle to exercise (PME). Pelvic muscle pressure curves from ten randomly selected records from a larger study of 65 women with urodynamically demonstrated stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were analyzed. The subjects completed a PME protocol that lasted 16 weeks. Five pressure curves before and after 16 weeks of exercise were analyzed and classified according to pressure-time profile types. Descriptive statistics revealed decreases in urine loss variables and increases in pelvic muscle pressure curve variables. Changes in profile characteristics suggested an increase in type II muscle fiber recruitment; recruitment of type I fibers that appeared less fatigable; and increased contractile force of both type I and type II fibers. Changes were analyzed by descriptive statistics and by reference to putative types. Reference to profile types may be useful to PME prescription to enhance fiber type-specific performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing, University of Florida, PO Box 100197, 32610-0197, Gainesville, FL, USA

    A. R. Boyington

  2. School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

    M. C. Dougherty & C. E. Kasper

Authors
  1. A. R. Boyington
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  2. M. C. Dougherty
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  3. C. E. Kasper
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Additional information

Editorial Comment: Pelvic floor muscle exercises are now being used more and more as one of the preliminary non-surgical regimens prior to surgical approach. This is in spite of the fact that we know very little about patient physiological response to these exercises, nor how to grade the enhancement of muscular activity as a result of performing them. This paper points out some of these deficiencies and helps us to understand that this may be due to several different types of muscle fibers that are involved in the contraction of the pelvic floor. Defining different muscle profile types may help physiotherapists to prescribe activities specifically designed to enhance the performance of each group of muscles. Measurement of intraabdominal pressure concurrently with the contraction helps to diminish the contribution of Valsalva to a measured pressure response, and this use of differential pressures is to be encouraged by others who work in this area.

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Boyington, A.R., Dougherty, M.C. & Kasper, C.E. Pelvic muscle profile types in response to pelvic muscle exercise. Int Urogynecol J 6, 68–72 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01962574

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