Does pelvic floor and abdominal muscle function and the synergy between these muscles change in young and older women with urinary incontinence?

Abstract

Aim

The aim of this study was to examine the synergistic relationship between the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) and abdominal muscles in older women with urinary incontinence (UI). Our secondary aim is to compare PFM and abdominal muscle functions and synergistic relationship according to incontinence type in younger and older women.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 46 older and 31 younger women. Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and Over Active Bladder-Validated 8 (OAB-V8) were used to evaluate the severity of participants’ urinary symptoms, and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7) was used to evaluate the quality of life related to the symptoms. PFM function was evaluated by superficial electromyography (EMG) and digital palpation; abdominal muscle function was evaluated by EMG.

Results

The average ages of the participants in the younger and old female groups were 49.74 ± 7.25 years and 74.87 ± 5.41 years, respectively. PFM endurance (p = 0.005), number of fast repetitions (p = 0.073) and work average value of the participants in the older women group were found to be lower than those in the younger women group (p = 0.002). In the group of older women with mixed incontinence (MUI), PFM endurance (p = 0.022), PFM (p = 0.002), Transversus abdominis (TrA) (p = 0.007), rectus abdominis (RA) (p = 0.015), internal oblique (IO)(p = 0.002) and external oblique (EO) abdominal muscles (p = 0.001) work average values ​​were significantly lower. In the younger women group with urge incontinence (UUI), the PFM work average value was higher than in the older women group (p = 0.021). During PFM contraction, a moderate positive correlation was found between PFM and RA (r = 0.498, p = 0.001), IO (r = 0.405, p = 0.006) and EO (r = 0.442, p = 0.002) in the older women group.

Conclusion

This study showed that older women with UI demonstrated reduced PFM endurance, fewer fast PFM contractions, and lower PFM and abdominal muscle activity compared to younger women with UI. A positive association was observed between the PFM and the RA, IO, and EO muscles specifically in older women with UI. Importantly, our findings indicate that both PFM and abdominal muscle function decline with age in women, irrespective of UI status, leading to a worsening of related symptoms. Consequently, we recommend the implementation of preventive physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs beginning at a young age to preserve and optimize PFM and abdominal muscle function in women.