ERIC Number: EJ1234847
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-1367
EISSN: N/A
Exercise Professionals Improve Their Poor Skills in Contracting Pelvic-Floor Muscles: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Szumilewicz, Anna; Hopkins, Will G.; Dornowski, Marcin; Piernicka, Magdalena
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, v90 n4 p641-650 2019
A quick, well-timed pelvic-floor muscle contraction during physical effort is recommended for active women to prevent urine leakage. Purpose: We address two research questions: how well do future female exercise professionals contract the pelvic-floor muscles, and whether the biofeedback session is necessary to train them to contract pelvic-floor muscles? Method: Participants were 84 nulliparous future exercise professionals (age 23 ± 3 years, mean ± SD), randomly allocated into biofeedback (n = 27), usual-advice (n = 26), and control (no advice, n = 21) groups. Contraction of pelvic-floor muscles on a 4-point scale (1 = incorrect through 4 = correct) was assessed in all groups by surface electromyography (sEMG) with a vaginal probe before and after 6 weeks of intervention. Results: In pretest, almost one in five participants (17%) could not activate the pelvic floor and less than half of them (45%) presented correct technique. The technique score for the three groups was 3.1 ± 1.1 (mean ± SD). After training, both intervention groups presented better technique score by 0.6 (90% confidence limits ± 0.5) relative to the control group, and two-thirds (65%) of the intervention groups presented the correct technique. Conclusions: Future exercise professionals displayed poor skills in contracting pelvic-floor muscles. Both training interventions (with and without biofeedback) were effective for this study group.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Physical Education Teachers, Females, Human Body, Muscular Strength, Training, Perceptual Motor Learning, Exercise, Biofeedback, Exercise Physiology, Motor Reactions
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A