Adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction to a Pilates exercises program can improve the pelvic floor muscle strength on sedentary nulliparous women.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) contraction to a Pilates exercise program on sedentary nulliparous women.

Methods: Fifty-seven healthy nulliparous and physically inactive women were randomized to Pilates exercise program (PEP) with or without PFMC. Forty-eight women concluded this study (24 participants for each group). Every women evaluated before and after the PEP, by a one physiotherapist and an urogynecologist (UG). Both professionals were not revealed to them. This physiotherapist measured their pelvic floor muscle strength by using both, a perineometer (Peritron) and vaginal palpation (Oxford Scale) . The UG, who performed 3D perineal ultrasound exams, collected their data and evaluated the results for pubovisceral muscle thickness and the levator hiatus (LA) area. Both professional were masked to the group allocation. The protocol for both groups consisted of 24 bi-weekly 1-h individual sessions of Pilates exercises, developed by another physiotherapist who is specialized in PFM rehabilitation and Pilates technique.

Group I: Pilates exercise program (PEP), involving only the Pilates exercises protocol without any instruction of a voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction. I other words, the researcher had, under no circumstance, never explained anything about a voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction during the Pilates exercise performance.

Group II: Pilates exercises program with voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction (PEP+PFMC) composed of a Pilates exercises program with voluntary pelvic floor contractions. This included maximum contraction of the pelvic floor muscles during expiratory period with 5 repetitions alternately, thus avoiding any muscle exhaustion pelvic floor that could happen.

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy women (without any gynecologic/neurologic disease)
• sedentary women (do not practice regularly physical activities)
• nulliparous,
• on reproductive age
• with no history of pelvic floor disorders
• capable to perform correct PFMC.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Women were not included if they were not able to perform a correct PFMC.
• Potential subjects were excluded if they had chronic degenerative diseases affecting muscular and nerve tissues, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease or overt neurological conditions,
• pregnancy,
• autoimmune connective tissue disorders
• had previously undergone pelvic floor re-education programs and/or pelvic floor surgery.