Is total muscle strength related to pelvic floor muscle strength in young women?
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: The intravaginal examination is an important part of the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) functional assessment. However, women sometimes refuse to submit to this procedure due to being embarrassed. This justifies the investigation of other alternatives of evaluation that could contribute to the treatment of pelvic floor disorders. Handgrip strength (HGS) provides an approximation of overall muscle strength, strongly associated with functionality, and this could be indirectly linked to the pelvic floor musculature. Objective: To verify whether there is a correlation between PFM strength and HGS. Methods: This is an observational study that evaluated 51 young women who filled out a clinical evaluation form and were submitted to pelvic floor evaluation, using the Modified Oxford Scale, Peritron® perineometer, and HGS (Saehan® dynamometer). For the perineometer and handgrip strength test, three repetitions of the maximum contraction were performed, considering the average of the attempts for analysis. Student’s t-test and Pearson’s coefficient were used to determine the correlation between variables, considering significance <0.05. Results: The participants were normotrophic, with a mean age of 23.14 ± 3.14 years, most were undergraduate students and physically active. The correlation coefficient between handgrip and pelvic floor musculature strength was 0.21 with a confidence interval of -0.07 to 0.46 and a significant value of 0.137. Conclusion: Pelvic floor muscle strength had a weak positive association with HGS. Therefore, it is not possible to state that women who have satisfactory HGS have a strong pelvic floor.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) that allows others to share and adapt the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.References
Zanin C, Jorge MSG, Knob B, Wibelinger LM, Libero GA. Força de preensão palmar em idosos: uma revisão integrativa. PAJAR. 2018;6(1):22-8. https://doi.org/10.15448/2357-9641.2018.1.29339
Porto JM, Nakaishi APM, Cangussu-Oliveira LM, Freire Júnior RC, Spilla SB, Abreu DCC. The relationship between grip strength and global muscle strength in community-dwelling older people. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2019;82:273-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2019.03.005
Martins JC, Aguiar LT, Lara EM, Teixeira-Salmela LF, Faria CD. Assessment of grip strength with the modified sphygmomanometer test: association between upper limb global strength and motor function. Braz J Phys Ther. 2015;19(6):498-506. https://doi.org/10.1590/bjpt-rbf.2014.0118
Shechtman O, Gestewitz L, Kimble C. Reliability, and validity of the DynEx dynamometer. J Hand Ther. 2005;18(3):339-47. https://doi.org/10.1197/j.jht.2005.04.002
Gąsior JS, Pawłowski M, Jeleń PJ, Rameckers EA, Williams CA, Makuch R, et al. Test-Retest Reliability of Handgrip Strength Measurement in Children and Preadolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(21):8026. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218026
Guzelant AY, Tasdemir N, Sarifakioglu AB, Abali R, Celik C. Assesment of Hand grip Strength in Patients with Pelvic Organ Prolapse. J Clin Analytical Med. 2015;6(6):771-4. https://doi.org/10.4328/JCAM.2416
Podvratnik V, Šćepanović D, Jakovljević M. Urinska inkontinenca in zmogljivost prijema roke. Fizioterapija (Ljubljana). 2013;21(1):1-6.
Yang SJ, Park JH, Oh Y, Kim H, Kong M, Moon J. Association of decreased grip strength with lower urinary tract symptoms in women: a cross‐sectional study from Korea. BMC Women's Health. 2021;21:96. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01241-4
Grimes WR, Stratton M. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls, 2022.
Bo K, Frawley HC, Haylen BT, Abramov Y, Almeida FG, Berghmans B, et al. An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for the conservative and nonpharmacological management of female pelvic floor dysfunction. Neurourol Urodyn. 2017;36(2):221-44. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.23107
Angelo PH, Varella LRD, Oliveira MCE, Matias MGL, Azevedo MAR, Almeida LM, et al. A manometry classification to assess pelvic floor muscle function in women. PloS One. 2017;12(10):e0187045. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187045
Aktas D, Kumas MB, Odabasioglu BS, Kaya A. Effect of a special examination gown and nature-based sounds on anxiety in women undergoing a gynecological examination. Clin Nurs Res. 2018;27(5):521-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/1054773816686475
O'Laughlin DJ, Strelow B, Fellows N, Kelsey E, Peters S, Stevens J, et al. Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination. J Primary Care Community Health. 2021;12:2150132721992195. https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132721992195
Laycock J. Clinical evaluation of the pelvic floor. In: Pelvic floor reeducation. London: Springer-Verlag, 1994; p. 42-8.
Fess E, Moran C. Grip strength. In: Casanova JS. Clinical assessment recommendations. 2 ed. Chicago: American Society of Hand Therapists, 1992; p. 41-5.
Schober P, Boer C, Schwarte LA. Correlation coefficients: appropriate use and interpretation. Anesthes Analg. 2018;126(5):1763-8. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864
Bo K, Sherburn M. Evaluation of female pelvic-floor muscle function and strength. Phys Ther. 2005;85(3):269-82.
Sluijs EM, Kok GJ, van der Zee J. Correlates of exercise compliance in physical therapy. Phys Ther. 1993;73(11):771-82. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/73.11.771
Moen M, Noone M, Vassallo B, Lopata R, Nash M, Sum B, et al. Knowledge and Performance of Pelvic Muscle Exercises in Women. J Pelvic Med Surgery. 2007;13(3):113-17. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.spv.0000263643.80110.40
Vermandel A, Wachter S, Beyltjens T, D’Hondt D, Jacquemyn Y, Wyndaele JJ. Pelvic floor awareness and the positive effect of verbal instructions in 958 women early postdelivery. Int Urogynecol J. 2015;26(2):223-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-014-2483-x
Ferreira CHJ, Barbosa PB, Souza FO, Antônio FI, Franco MM, Bø K. Inter-rater reliability study of the modified Oxford Grading Scale and the Peritron manometer. Physiotherapy. 2011;97(2):132-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2010.06.007
Chevalier F, Fernandez-Lao C, Cuesta-Vargas AI. Normal reference values of strength in pelvic floor muscle of women: a descriptive and inferential study. BMC Women's Health. 2014; 14:143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-014-0143-4
Franco MM, Driusso P, Bø K, Abreu DCC, Silva LA, Silva ACJSR, et al. Relationship between pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study. Int Urogynecol J. 2017;28(6):931-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-016-3211-5
Fusco HCSC, Pontes Filho MAG, Haddad JM, Zanetti MRD, Marques AP, Ferreira EAG. Lower urinary tract symptoms and perineal function in women with and without fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional study. Clin Rheumatol. 2019;38(10):2885-90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-019-04617-y
Amaral CA, Amaral TLM, Monteiro GTR, Vasconcellos MTL, Portela MC. Hand grip strength: Reference values for adults and elderly people of Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. PLoS One. 2019;14(1):e0211452. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211452
Lim SH, Kim YH, Lee JS. Normative Data on Grip Strength in a Population-Based Study with Adjusting Confounding Factors: Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014-2015). Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(12):2235. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122235
Yang ST, Jeong BY. Comparison of accident characteristics between manual materials handling (MMH) and non-MMH works in the automobile parts manufacturing industry: Based South Korea US. Work. 2019;62(2):197-203. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-192855
Marion R, Niebuhr BR. Effect of warm-up before maximal grip contractions. J Hand Ther. 1992;5(3):143-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0894-1130(12)80349-8
Johansson CA, Kent BE, Shepard, KF. Relationship between verbal command volume and magnitude of muscle contraction. Phys Ther. 1983;63(8):1260-5. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/63.8.1260
Nygaard IE. Does Prolonged High-impact Activity Contribute to Later Urinary Incontinence? A Retrospective Cohort Study of Female Olympians. Obstetr Gynecol. 1997;90(5):718-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0029-7844(97)00436-5