Abstract
The management of pelvic floor dysfunctions might need to be based on a comprehensive neuro-musculoskeletal therapy such as The Rolf Method of Structural Integration (SI). The aim of the study was to evaluate the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) after the tenth session of SI by using surface electromyography (sEMG). This was a randomized, interventional study. Thirty-three healthy women were randomly assigned to the experimental (SI) or control group. The outcome measures included PFM bioelectrical activity, assessed using sEMG and endovaginal probes. An intervention in the SI group included 60 min of SI once a week, and teaching on how to contract and relax PFMs; in the control group, only the teaching was carried out. In the SI group, a significant difference was found between the PFM sEMG activity during “pre-baseline rest” (p < 0.014) and that during “rest after tonic contraction” (p = 0.021) in the supine position, as were significant increases in “phasic contraction” in the standing position (p = 0.014). In the intergroup comparison, higher PFM sEMG activity after the intervention “phasic contraction” (p = 0.037) and “pre-baseline rest” (p = 0.028) was observed in the SI group. The SI intervention significantly changes some functional bioelectrical activity of PFMs, providing a basis for further research on a new approach to PFM facilitation, particularly in clinical populations.
Highlights
The correct performance of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and relaxation, in the form of specific training, is the most important element of the therapeutic process in the conservative treatment of urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse [1,2,3,4,5]
Similar results regarding the reduction of PFM bioelectrical activity can be seen in Chmielewska et al [29], where after six weeks of PFM strength training with biofeedback in healthy, continent, nulliparous women, there was a reduction in resting PFM bioelectric activity in both the supine and standing positions
Fast contraction velocities play an important role in strength training [32]. These results provide the basis for the team to continue their research in the clinical population
Summary
The correct performance of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) contraction and relaxation, in the form of specific training (pelvic floor muscle training, PFMT), is the most important element of the therapeutic process in the conservative treatment of urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse [1,2,3,4,5]. We illustrate the new possibilities for pelvic floor muscle facilitation using a comprehensive neuro-musculoskeletal and holistic intervention such as The Rolf Method of Structural Integration (SI). SI, according to Ida Rolf, is a form of fascial therapy as well as postural and movement re-education. It is focused on balancing body posture, its proper alignment with gravity, and restoring the body’s maximum functional capabilities [10]. The normal function of the above-mentioned muscles may be lost in patients with urinary incontinence For this reason, motor re-education, in the form of learning motor control and postural re-education, including the restoration of normal PFM-related muscle function, should be included in PFMsT [17,18]. The question arises whether a comprehensive form of therapy, such as SI, can facilitate the restoration of the physiological functions of PFMs and serve as another method of their facilitation, supporting the commonly used PFMsT
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