What is known from the existing literature about the available treatments for pelvic floor dysfunction among female athletes? A scoping review protocol

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundPelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a term used to describe a variety of symptoms, signs and conditions involving different impairments on the pelvic floor muscles.The existing literature suggests that some sports may lead to a higher risk of developing PFD, in particular among female athletes. Despite a recent scoping review highlighted a great number of studies dealing with epidemiologic data on this topic, no study has been conducted to map the available treatments.In this framework, the aim of the present scoping review will be to map and summarize the literature to identify the available evidence concerning the treatments for PFD among female athletes.Inclusion criteriaStudies considering female athletes practicing sports at any performance level with any type of PFD will be eligible for inclusion. Any treatment options (i.e. preventive, conservative, surgery) reported by each study and any context will be considered.MethodsThis scoping review will be performed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Scopus, CINAHLComplete, Embase, PEDro and SPORTDiscus database will be searched from inception to May 2021. Additional records will be identified through searching in grey literature and the reference lists of all relevant studies. No study design, publication type, data and language restrictions will be applied.Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. A data collection form will be developed by the research team to extract the characteristics of the studies included. A tabular and accompanying narrative summary of the information will be provided.ConclusionsThis will be the first scoping review to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic. The results will add meaningful information for clinicians in the management of PFD among female athletes. Furthermore, any knowledge gaps of the topic will be identified. The results of this research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will be presented at relevant (inter)national scientific events.