The effect of post-natal exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles

Abstract

Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of post-natal pelvic floor muscle exercise.

Methods: A prospective comparison design comprising 66 matched pairs (n=132) of mothers, divided into a training group (TG) and a control group (CG) was used. The TG attended an eight week special pelvic floor muscle exercise course, training in groups led by a physiotherapist 45 minutes once per week. In addition they exercised at home at least three times per week. The CG followed the ordinary written postnatal instructions provided by the hospital. Pelvic floor muscle strength was measured at the 8th and the 16th week after delivery using a vaginal balloon catheter connected to a pressure transducer. Vaginal palpation and observation of inward movement of the balloon catheter during contraction, were used to control the ability to perform correct pelvic floor muscle contraction. In addition the women were interviewed about breast feeding, menstruation, general physical activity and pelvic floor muscle exercise during pregnancy, between birth and test l, and between test l and test 2. Wilcoxon-Signed-Ranks-Test for matched pairs was performed to compare change in pelvic floor muscle strength within and between groups.

Results: While a statistically significant change in pelvic floor muscle strength was found in both the TG and the CG, the improvement for the training group was significantly greater.

Conclusion: was concluded that a specially devised pelvic floor muscle strength training programme can add significantly to physical recovery after childbirth.