Can the inability to contract the pelvic floor muscles influence the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms in females?

Abstract

The objective was to analyze if the inability to perform a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) in a first assessment can influence the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms in women. A cross-sectional study was carried out using the medical records of women with UI who were referred for pelvic floor physiotherapy after undergoing a gynecological evaluation between May 2013 and December 2019. Records included data referring to age, body mass index (BMI), obstetric history, Modified Oxford Scale (MOS), and the final score of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) from a baseline assessment. Data were divided into women who were unable and those who were able to voluntarily perform an MVC of the PFMs. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21. A total of 498 medical records were analyzed and 36.3% of those women were not able to perform a PFM MVC after verbal command and digital stimulus. Homogeneity was observed among groups and no significant difference was found regarding the severity of UI symptoms when the groups were compared. No association was found between the inability to contract the PFMs and the severity of UI symptoms. Other studies should be developed to better understand why some women are incapable of performing a voluntary PFM contraction. Also, it would be relevant to compare women with PFM dysfunction who are not able to contract the PFMs with healthy women with the same PFM condition to analyze whether this muscle condition could be related to dysfunctions such as UI or pelvic organ prolapse.