title: Pelvic floor muscle electromyography during different running speeds: an exploratory and reliability study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects women of all ages including young athletes, especially those involved in high-impact sports. To date, hardly any studies are available testing pelvic floor muscles (PFM) during sports activities. The aim of this study was the description and reliability test of six PFM electromyography (EMG) variables during three different running speeds. The secondary objective was to evaluate whether there was a speed-dependent difference between the PFM activity variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  This trial was designed as an exploratory and reliability study including ten young healthy female subjects to characterize PFM pre-activity and reflex activity during running at 7, 9 and 11 km/h. Six variables for each running speed, averaged over ten steps per subject, were presented descriptively, tested regarding their reliability (Friedman, ICC, SEM, MD) and speed difference (Friedman).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PFM EMG variables varied between 67.6 and 106.1 %EMG, showed no systematic error and were low for SEM and MD using the single value model. Applying the average model over ten steps, ICC (3,k) were >0.75 and SEM and MD about 50 % lower than for the single value model. Activity was found to be highest in 11 km/h.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EMG variables showed excellent ICC and very low SEM and MD. Further studies should investigate inter-session reliability and PFM reactivity patterns of SUI patients using the average over ten steps for each variable as it showed very high ICC and very low SEM and MD. Subsequently, longer running distances and other high-impact sports disciplines could be studied.
authors.affiliation: Bern University of Applied Sciences, Health, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland. helena.luginbuehl@bfh.ch.|Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Boulevard de la Plaine 2, 1050, Ixelles, Belgium. helena.luginbuehl@bfh.ch.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luginbuehl
authors.affiliation: Bern University of Applied Sciences, Health, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naeff
authors.affiliation: Bern University of Applied Sciences, Health, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zahnd
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Boulevard de la Plaine 2, 1050, Ixelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Baeyens
authors.affiliation: Women's Hospital, Urogynaecology, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Effingerstrasse 102, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Bern University of Applied Sciences, Health, Murtenstrasse 10, 3008, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Radlinger
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry; D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D053580:Muscle Strength; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Jogging; Pelvic floor; Reproducibility; Sports; Stress urinary incontinence