Lumbopelvic dysfunction and stress urinary incontinence: a case report applying rehabilitative ultrasound imaging

Urinary Incontinence in Female Athletes: A Systematic Review on Prevalence and Physical Therapy Approaches

Urinary incontinence (UI) is an involuntary leakage of urine and is classified as stress, mixed, or urge. It is more common in females due to anatomical and physiological body differences. Moreover, the literature remarks an evident presence of UI with high-intensity physical activities. Therefore, the present integrative systematic review focused on the studies aimed at investigating the prevalence of UI in nulliparous sportswomen, studies illustrating sport-specific prevalence of UI, and studies demonstrating the impact of physical therapy intervention on UI. A literature search was carried out systematically on electronic databases consisting of Cochrane and Google Scholar databases from 2018 to December 2023. The keywords utilized to perform the literature search and include relevant articles consisted of "urinary incontinence," AND "nulliparous," AND "sportswomen," OR "female athletes," AND "physical therapy". A total of nine studies were included in the present systematic review. The quality assessment of the studies was performed by using a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR 2) scale, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used for cross-sectional and randomized controlled trial studies. The data extracted included first author and year of publication, study design, sample or number of individuals involved in the study, age range of the participants, type of UI, type of sports involved, purpose of the study, methodological part, outcome measures derived, conclusion, and quality assessment of the studies. The review concluded that nulliparous athletes, especially those participating in high-impact activities, have a significant prevalence of UI. In addition, the physical therapy intervention consisting of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) along with education about pertinent pelvic anatomy was mostly performed on female athletes for the prevention and management of UI.

Physical Therapists Use of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging in Clinical Practice: A Review of Case Reports

Objective

Ultrasound diagnostic imaging (USI) is widely utilized in sports medicine, orthopaedics, and rehabilitation. Its use in physical therapy clinical practice is increasing. This review summarizes published patient case reports describing USI in physical therapist practice.

Design

Comprehensive literature review.

Literature Search

PubMed was searched using the keywords "physical therapy" AND "ultrasound" AND "case report" AND "imaging". In addition, citation indexes and specific journals were searched.

Study Selection Criteria

Papers were included if the patient was attending physical therapy, USI was necessary for patient management, the full text was retrievable, and the paper was written in English. Papers were excluded if USI was only used for interventions, such as biofeedback, or if the USI was incidental to physical therapy patient/client management.

Data Synthesis

Categories of data extracted included: 1) Patient presentation; 2) Setting; 3) Clinical indications; 4) Who performed USI; 5) Anatomical region; 6) Methods of USI; 7) Additional imaging; 8) Final diagnosis; and 9) Case outcome.

Results

Of the 172 papers reviewed for inclusion, 42 were evaluated. Most common anatomical regions scanned were the foot and lower leg (23%), thigh and knee (19%), shoulder and shoulder girdle (16%), lumbopelvic region (14%), and elbow/wrist and hand (12%). Fifty-eight percent of the cases were deemed static, while 14% reported using dynamic imaging. The most common indication for USI was a differential diagnosis list that included serious pathologies. Case studies often had more than one indication. Thirty-three cases (77%) resulted in confirmation of a diagnosis, while 29 case reports (67%) documented significant changes in physical therapy intervention strategies due to the USI, and 25 case reports (63%) resulted in referral.

Conclusion

This review of cases provides details on unique ways USI can be used during physical therapy patient care, including aspects that reflect the unique professional framework.

Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain Demonstrate Increased Lumbopelvic Muscle Stiffness Compared to Asymptomatic Controls

Background: Although lumbopelvic muscle stiffness is commonly clinically assessed in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP), it has not been objectively quantified in this population, and its association with other pain-related impairments has not yet been established. Objective: To compare superficial lumbopelvic muscle stiffness in women with and without CPP. In addition, pressure pain threshold (PPT) was compared between groups and the associations between muscle stiffness and PPT were assessed in women with CPP. Study Design: Case-control. Methods: Muscle stiffness and PPT of 11 lumbopelvic muscles were assessed in 149 women with CPP and 48 asymptomatic women. Subjective outcome measures, including pelvic floor function, health history, and psychosocial outcomes, were collected before muscle stiffness and PPT measurements. Analysis of covariance was used to compare muscle stiffness differences between groups, and independent t-tests were used to compare PPT between groups. Associations between measurements of PPT and muscle stiffness were calculated using correlation analysis. Results: Five of the 11 muscles measured were significantly stiffer in women with CPP than those without CPP (p < 0.05). PPT was significantly decreased in all muscles measured in women with CPP; however, there was not a significant association between muscle stiffness and PPT in women with CPP. Conclusion: The study identified the abdominal lumbopelvic muscles that have increased stiffness in women with CPP compared to asymptomatic women. In addition, muscle stiffness and PPT are two distinct impairments within this population. The results suggest that women with CPP have peripheral muscle impairments, which may be addressed without intravaginal or intrarectal intervention. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04851730.

Knowledge and use of extrinsic feedback characteristics: A survey of current practice among Brazilian physical therapists

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify the knowledge about the different characteristics of and the use of extrinsic feedback (EF) by Brazilian physical therapists.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study, and we used an internet-based survey with questions about knowledge and application of extrinsic feedback in clinical practice. We analyzed the responses in relation to the best available evidence on motor control and learning. We recruited Brazilian registered physical therapists from different regions in Brazil. Participants' demographics and survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Two hundred and forty-six Brazilian physical therapists participated in the study. Most participants affirmed not knowing the definition of EF (55.69%), confirmed using some form of EF in their clinical practice (86.59%), and reported using it in 50% to 90% of their patients (26.42%). Brazilian physical therapists reported using mainly summary feedback (69.10%) with external focus of attention (63.41%). Participants reported using concurrent feedback (82.83%) and delivered it after every exercise repetition (63.82%). Most participants (43.09%) did not assess learning retention. Answers were similar regardless of education level or time from graduation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this survey suggest that Brazilian physical therapists do not have sufficient knowledge about the different characteristics of EF; however, they do consider EF useful and use it for most of their patients. Brazilian physical therapists adopted adequate content characteristics of EF but not adequate use of timing characteristics of EF.

What is known from the existing literature about the available interventions for pelvic floor dysfunction among female athletes? A scoping review

Background

Aim

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Associations between low back pain, urinary incontinence, and abdominal muscle recruitment as assessed via ultrasonography in the elderly

BACKGROUND

Low back pain (LBP) and urinary incontinence (UI) are highly prevalent among elderly individuals. In young adults, changes in trunk muscle recruitment, as assessed via ultrasound imaging, may be associated with lumbar spine stability.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the associations between LBP, UI, and the pattern of transversus abdominis (TrA), internal (IO), and external oblique (EO) muscle recruitment in the elderly as evaluated by ultrasound imaging.

METHOD

Fifty-four elderly individuals (mean age: 72±5.2 years) who complained of LBP and/or UI as assessed by the McGill Pain Questionnaire, Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form, and ultrasound imaging were included in the study. The statistical analysis comprised a multiple linear regression model, and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

The regression models for the TrA, IO, and EO muscle thickness levels explained 2.0% (R2=0.02; F=0.47; p=0.628), 10.6% (R2=0.106; F=3.03; p=0.057), and 10.1% (R2=0.101; F=2.70; p=0.077) of the variability, respectively. None of the regression models developed for the abdominal muscles exhibited statistical significance. A significant and negative association (p=0.018; β=-0.0343) was observed only between UI and IO recruitment.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that age-related factors may have interfered with the findings of the study, thus emphasizing the need to perform ultrasound imaging-based studies to measure abdominal muscle recruitment in the elderly.

The association between degenerative hip joint pathology and size of the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and piriformis muscles

This study aimed to investigate changes in the deep abductor muscles, gluteus medius (GMED), piriformis (PIRI), and gluteus minimus (GMIN), occurring in association with differing stages of unilateral degenerative hip joint pathology (mild: n=6, and advanced: n=6). Muscle volume assessed via magnetic resonance imaging was compared for each muscle between sides, and between groups (mild, advanced, control (n=12)). GMED and PIRI muscle volume was smaller around the affected hip in subjects with advanced pathology (p<0.01, p<0.05) while no significant asymmetry was present in the mild and control groups. GMIN showed a trend towards asymmetry in the advanced group (p=0.1) and the control group (p=0.076) which appears to have been associated with leg dominance. Between group differences revealed a significant difference for the GMED muscle reflecting larger muscle volumes on the affected side in subjects with mild pathology, compared to matched control hips. This information suggests that while GMED appears to atrophy in subjects with advanced hip joint pathology, it may be predisposed to hypertrophy in early stages of pathology. Assessment and exercise prescription methods should consider that the response of muscles of the abductor synergy to joint pathology is not homogenous between muscles or across stages of pathology.