Relationship between transversus abdominis muscle thickness and urinary incontinence in females at 2 months postpartum.
Sachiko Madokoro, Hiroichi Miaki
PMID 30774216WHAT IT FOUND
Postpartum women with urinary leakage had thinner deep abdominal (TrA) muscle when contracting, but not at rest.
Only 4 women had leakage, so this is a small association, not proof that TrA exercises improve incontinence.
Key findings
01During contraction, transversus abdominis thickness was significantly lower in postpartum women with urinary incontinence (2.98 mm) than in postpartum women without urinary incontinence (4.44 mm) and controls (4.65 mm).
02At rest, transversus abdominis thickness did not differ significantly among the three groups.
03The 4 women with postpartum urinary incontinence all had stress urinary incontinence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 4 women had urinary incontinence, so the group difference is based on a very small number. The study measured women at one time point, 2 months postpartum, so it cannot show whether lower transversus abdominis contraction thickness caused leakage or happened alongside other postpartum changes. The authors did not separate vaginal delivery from cesarean section in the analysis because the sample was too small. They measured transversus abdominis thickness at one site only, and they did not measure pelvic floor muscle contraction. This was an observational study, not a treatment trial, so it cannot show that transversus abdominis exercise improves urinary incontinence.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that transversus abdominis exercises treat postpartum urinary incontinence. This was a small observational study of 4 women with leakage, not a treatment trial.