Women with SUI demonstrate motor control differences during voluntary pelvic floor muscle contractions.
OBJECTIVE
To compare maximum abdominal and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) electromyographic (EMG) and intravaginal pressure (IVP) amplitudes and muscle activation patterns during voluntary PFM contractions between women with and without stress urinary incontinence (SUI).


METHODS
Twenty-eight continent women and 44 women with SUI performed single and repeated PFM contractions in supine. Surface EMG data were recorded simultaneously with IVP. Maximum EMG and IVP amplitudes and ensemble average IVP versus EMG curves were determined from the single contractions. Muscle activation timing was determined with cross-correlation functions from the repeated contractions.


RESULTS
The continent group produced higher PFM EMG amplitudes than the SUI group; there were no between group differences in IVP. The women with SUI delayed activating rectus abdominus. The IVP versus EMG curves' shapes were similar between the groups, however the SUI group had higher abdominal muscle y-intercepts than the continent women.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that women with SUI demonstrate altered motor control strategies during voluntary PFM contractions.
Madill
Stéphanie J
SJ
School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Harvey
Marie-Andrée
MA
McLean
Linda
L
D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000502:physiology