Correlation between self-perception of pelvic floor muscle activity and electromyography

Abstract

Background: In the pelvis we find the pelvic floor muscles (PFM), and these are responsible for supporting the pelvic organs, sexual function and maintenance of continence. Lack of awareness of this musculature can lead to incorrect contraction and relaxation failure resulting in possible dysfunctions. Aims: To correlate female selfperception of PFM movements with electromyographic data. Method: cross-sectional study. During the lecture, the women answered whether they knew how to contract and relax their PFM, and whether or not they chose to participate in the physical assessment through electromyography. During the EMG it was necessary to contract and relax the pelvic floor. Results: Of all the participants, 66.7% said they knew how to relax and 50% said they knew how to relax, but the EMG showed that 75% did not obtain an effective contraction and 83.3% did not know how to relax properly. Conclusion: the lack of female self-perception of PFM activity is a fact, given that the participants believed they knew how to contract and relax, but the EMG showed the opposite.