Copyright © 2019 Section on Women’s Health, American Physical Therapy Association. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
160 © 2019 Section on Women’s Health, American Physical Therapy Association Volume43•Number4•October/December2019
ABSTRACT
Objective: Todescribepelvicfloormuscle(PFM)function,hip
mobility,andhipstrengthprofilesandcomparemeasures
between women with and without self-reported stress
urinaryincontinence(SUI).
Study Design: Descriptive.
Background: Women with SUI present with PFM and
hip impairments; yet comparative data in asymptomatic
womenarelacking.
Methods and Measures: Adult women with (n = 21) or
without(n =20)SUI,withregularmenses,wererecruited.
PFM performance, passive hip range-of-motion angles,
and hip maximum isometric voluntary contractions (Nm/
kg) (Biodex) were measured. Values were compared
betweengroupsandlegs(dominant[Dom]andnondomi-
nant[Non-dom])(significance: P <.05).
Results: Women with SUI were older ( P < .001), had
higher parity, more tender points (Dom, P = .020),
greater prone hip internal rotation (IR) angles (Non-dom,
P = .025), lesser flexibility per Ober test (Non-dom,
P = .013; Dom, P = .050), lower seated hip external
INTRODUCTION
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is involuntary urinary
leakage that occurs during increased intra-abdominal
pressure as a result of coughing, sneezing, or physical
exertion.
1,2
While urinary incontinence (UI) is com-
monly experienced by older women, SUI is the pre-
dominant type of UI among premenopausal women.
3
Risk factors for SUI include elevated body mass index
(BMI),
4,5
pregnancy/postpartum,
6
higher parity,
7
and
vaginal delivery.
6,8–11
SUI is reported in young women
(15-39 years old), with similar rates among athletes
and nonathletes (39% and 41%, respectively).
12
Those
affected by SUI report that the condition negatively
1
Westbrook College of Health Professions, University of
New England, Portland, Maine.
2
Advance Orthopedic and Sports Therapy, Tewksbury,
Massachusetts.
3
Select Physical Therapy, Auburn, Maine.
4
Maine Health Cardiology, Scarborough, Maine.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Supplemental digital content is available for this article.
Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are
provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on
the journal’s Web site (http://journals.lww.com/jwhpt/pages/
default.aspx).
DOI: 10.1097/JWH.0000000000000141
Pelvic Floor Muscle Performance, Hip Mobility,
and Hip Strength in Women With and Without
Self-Reported Stress Urinary Incontinence
Erin Hartigan, PT, DPT, PhD, ATC, OCS
1
J. Adrienne McAuley, PT, DPT, MEd, OCS, FAAOMPT
1
Mike Lawrence, BS, MS
1
Carly Keafer, PT, DPT
2
Abbey Ball, PT, DPT, ATC
3
Anna Michaud, BS
4
Mary DeSilva, ScD, MS, MSFS
1
rotation (ER) force (Non-dom, P = .008; Dom, P =
.033),andlowerhipabductionforce(Non-domandDom,
P <.001)thanwomenwithoutSUI.Legdifferencesforthe
SUIgroupwerepronehipIRangles( P =.033),seatedhip
IRforce( P =.015),andpronehipERforce( P <.001).
Leg differences in women without SUI were PFM power
( P = .005), prone hip angles (IR, P = .038; ER,
P =.004),andpronehipERforce( P <.001).
Conclusions: The lack of significant differences in PFM
functionbetweenthe2groupswasunexpected.Greater
hipstrengthandmobilityalongwithuniquebetween-leg
differencesmaysuggestacopingmechanisminasymp-
tomatic women with similar PFM function as women
withSUI.InvestigatingrelationshipsamongPFMandhip
profilesandseverityofSUIappearswarranted.
Key Words: jointrangeofmotion , lowerurinarytractsymp-
toms , musclestrength , regionalinterdependence
We have included a Video Abstract that highlights interest-
ing findings in our article (see the Video Abstract, Supple-
mental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/
JWHPT/A23) .
Pelvic Floor Muscle Performance, Hip Mobility,
and Hip Strength in Women With and Without
Research Report