title: Effects of walking speeds and carrying techniques on intra-abdominal pressure in women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Walking speed and carrying technique affect intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in women. In this study, we tested the feasibility of monitoring IAP outside the laboratory environment and compared IAP while study participants were (1) carrying 13.6 kg (similar to a 3-month old in car seat) in six different ways while walking 100 m; and (2) while walking 400 m at self-selected slow, normal, and fast paces.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six healthy women between 19 and 54 years completed the walking and lifting activities; the order for each was randomized. IAP was monitored with an intravaginal pressure transducer that wirelessly transmitted pressure data to a portable base station. We analyzed maximal peak IAP and area under the curve (AUC) IAP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Monitoring IAP outside of the laboratory was feasible. Mean maximal IAP during walking increased as pace increased: 42.5 [standard deviation (SD) 10.2], 50.5 (10.9), and 62.0 (12.1) cmH2O for slow, medium, and fast speeds, respectively: p < 0.0001 by mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA). The corresponding AUC of IAP for walking decreased as pace increased. The awkward carry, side carry, and front carry activities each resulted in higher mean maximal IAP [65.8 (10.6), 67.7 (12.8), and 77.3 (13.1) cmH2O, respectively] than the carry-in-backpack activity [55.5 (11.4) cmH2O; p < 0.0001].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subtle variations in walking speed or method of carrying a toddler-size load can produce significant changes in IAP. Whether these changes increase the risk of pelvic floor disorders is not yet clear. However, these data suggest that further inquiry into optimal methods and appliances to assist women in carrying may create a lower IAP profile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, 36 S. Wasatch Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Tanner J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Nadia M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.forename: Janet M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Marlene J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hitchcock
authors.forename: Huifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Chan K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ingrid E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Nygaard
mesh_terms: D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011312:Pressure; D011897:Random Allocation; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult