Utilizing Synergism between the Transverse Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Muscles at Different Postures in Nulliparous Women: A Randomized Case-Control Study
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The aim of the study was to determine the effects of the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training (PFM-T) in combination with transverse abdominal (TRA) muscle activation (cPFM-T) in female urinary incontinence. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We enrolled nulliparous women in supine (SUG) (<i>n</i> = 22), sitting (SIG) (<i>n</i> = 19), and control (COG) (<i>n</i> = 14) groups. We conducted an 8-week cPFM-T programme. We examined the effect of training on the parameters with the Kruskal-Wallis test, the pairwise comparisons with the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Wilcoxon rank test with the Bonferroni correction. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Before training, 15 participants reported occasional urinary leakage. After cPFM-T, 7 participants reported that urinary leakage had disappeared. Maximal isometric contraction of the PFMs until fatigue improved significantly in the SUG (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and SIG (<i>p</i> = 0.015) groups but not significantly in the COG group (<i>p</i> = 0.499). Holding time increased in the SUG (<i>p</i> = 0.972) and the SIG (<i>p</i> = 0.717) groups and decreased in the COG group (<i>p</i> = 0.132). The dynamic endurance of the PFM improved significantly in the SUG group (<i>p</i> < 0.001) but not in the SIG (<i>p</i> = 0.798) and the COG (<i>p</i> = 0.153) groups. The number of maximal fast contractions within 1 min increased in both the SUG (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and SIG (<i>p</i> = 0.813) groups and decreased in the COG group (<i>p</i> = 0.257). Relaxation improved significantly in the SIG group (<i>p</i> = 0.011). TRA mucle thickness increased in both training groups. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Slow-twitch fibres of the PFM can be trained effectively with PFM-T in both the body positions.