Differences in muscle activation patterns during pelvic floor muscle contraction and Valsalva manouevre

Aims To investigate the different muscle activation patterns around the abdomino‐pelvic cavity in continent women and their effect on pressure generation during a correct pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and a Valsalva maneuver. Methods Thirteen continent women were assessed. Abdominal, chest w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurourology and urodynamics 2006-03, Vol.25 (2), p.148-155
Main Authors: Thompson, Judith A., O'Sullivan, Peter B., Briffa, N. Kathryn, Neumann, Patricia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abdominal muscles
diaphragm
EMG
intra-abdominal pressure
pelvic floor muscles
ultrasound
vaginal pressure
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Summary:Aims To investigate the different muscle activation patterns around the abdomino‐pelvic cavity in continent women and their effect on pressure generation during a correct pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and a Valsalva maneuver. Methods Thirteen continent women were assessed. Abdominal, chest wall, and PFM activity and vaginal and intra‐abdominal pressure (IAP), were recorded during two tasks: PFM contraction and Valsalva whilst bladder base position was monitored on trans‐abdominal ultrasound. A correct PFM contraction was defined as one that resulted in bladder base elevation and a Valsalva resulted in bladder base depression. Results Comparison of the mean of the normalized EMG activity of all the individual muscle groups was significantly different between PFM contraction and Valsalva (P = 0.04). During a correct PFM contraction, the PFM were more active than during Valsalva (P = 0.001). During Valsalva, all the abdominal muscles (IO (P = 0.006), EO (P 
ISSN:0733-2467
1520-6777
DOI:10.1002/nau.20203