Impact of a 12-Week Pelvic Floor Training on Urinary Incontinence in Functional Fitness Training Athletes

NCT ID: NCT06623045

Last Updated: 2024-10-02

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 21 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-04-23
• Study Completion Date: 2023-09-10

Brief Summary

Functional fitness training (FFT) is a prominent exercise regimen, that has emerged as the dominant fitness trend of the 21st century , advocating high-intensity exercises with repetitive, impactful movements that often result in increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and neuromuscular fatigue. This demanding training pattern, characterized by minimal rest pauses, has been associated with potential health concerns, particularly urinary incontinence (UI). In athletes, UI is intricately connected to the frequency of exposure to increased IAP during high-impact activities. These activities assume even greater significance in sports, particularly in FFT, where there is an increased frequency of impactful foot contact on the ground and intensive abdominal exercises, potentially correlating with the overload of the pelvic floor muscles and the emergence of dysfunctions. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of a 12-week training program focused on Kegel exercises performed with diaphragmatic breathing in nulliparous female FFT athletes. The central hypothesis postulates that after the 12-week intervention, these women will exhibit enhancements in both the muscular activation and contractile capacity of their pelvic floor, leading to a reduction in instances of urine leakage.

Conditions

Strength; Muscle Activation; Urinary Incontinence (UI)

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

PFM strength

This group carries out a 12-week training intervention based on Kegel exercises to improve strength and muscle activation

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Pelvic floor muscle training intervention

Intervention Type: OTHER

The training program consisted of 12 weeks of PFM exercises, 3 times per week, with each session lasting between 10 and 15 minutes. The program followed different stages through the weeks: (1) proprioception of pelvic floor muscles activation and integration with diaphragmatic breathing, (2) stabilization and strengthening of the pelvic floor musculature through progressive overloading, and (3) transference of these exercises to FFT practice. During the 12 weeks, short contractions (2") were combined with longer ones (5 to 10"), carrying out the progressive overload by increasing the number of contractions, the duration of the contraction, or by evolving the execution position towards more upright postures and sporting movements.

Control Group

This group is used as a control group. They keep training their sports discipline but don't join the 12-week PFM training protocol.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Pelvic floor muscle training intervention

The training program consisted of 12 weeks of PFM exercises, 3 times per week, with each session lasting between 10 and 15 minutes. The program followed different stages through the weeks: (1) proprioception of pelvic floor muscles activation and integration with diaphragmatic breathing, (2) stabilization and strengthening of the pelvic floor musculature through progressive overloading, and (3) transference of these exercises to FFT practice. During the 12 weeks, short contractions (2") were combined with longer ones (5 to 10"), carrying out the progressive overload by increasing the number of contractions, the duration of the contraction, or by evolving the execution position towards more upright postures and sporting movements.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Nulliparous FFT female athletes
• had been practicing FFT or weightlifting for at least 2 years
• train a minimum of 3 days/week
• had not previously performed pelvic floor exercises
• had no medical contraindications or previous pelvic floor surgeries

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Universidad Politecnica de Madrid

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Celia Rodríguez Longobardo

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Countries

Spain

Other Identifiers

20221125

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

UPM20221125

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id