Highlights
- •An intra-vaginal accelerometry approach to evaluate pelvic floor tissue properties.
- •Parity affected vibrational damping in the 25–40 Hz range.
- •Running time affected vibrational damping in the 13–16 Hz range.
- •Continence Status and Running Speed had an interaction in the 4.5–5.5 Hz range.
Abstract
Background
While cumulative loading of the pelvic floor during exercise appears to increase the
risk of developing pelvic floor disorders, the pathophysiologic role of pelvic floor
loading is poorly understood. The aim of this exploratory study was to present a method
for evaluating vibrational frequency damping of the female pelvic floor and to investigate
the potential utility of this approach in a preliminary evaluation.
Methods
Female participants were instrumented with an intravaginal accelerometer and a hip-mounted
accelerometer, then ran on a treadmill at 7 km/h and 10 km/h both before and after
a 30-min self-selected pace. Displacement of the pelvic floor relative to the bony
pelvis was calculated using double integration of the accelerometer data. Vibrational
damping coefficients were calculated using a wavelet-based approach to determine the
effect of continence status, parity, running speed and time on vibrational damping.
Findings
Seventeen women (n = 10 reported regularly leaking urine while exercising, while n = 7 reported not leaking) completed the running protocol. No differences in vibrational
damping were detected between continent and incontinent women when all frequency bands
were evaluated together, however significant effects of parity, time, running speed
and continence status were found within specific frequency bands. Parous women demonstrated
less damping in the 25-40 Hz band compared to nulliparae, damping in the 13-16 Hz
band was lower after the 30-min run, and incontinent women demonstrated lower damping
in the 4.5–5.5 Hz band than continent women when running at 7 km/h.
Interpretation
Intra-vaginal vibrational damping may be useful in detecting biomechanical mechanisms
associated with pelvic floor disorders experienced by females during exercise.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 28, 2021
Accepted:
December 20,
2021
Received:
February 12,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
