Pelvic floor morphofunctional characteristics in female rugby players beyond the tackle. Pelvic floor muscles in high-impact sports
Abstract
Rugby is a high-impact sport that may impose substantial mechanical demands on the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) and has been associated with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This cross-sectional study assessed pelvic floor morphofunctional characteristics in 27 nulliparous female rugby players using digital palpation, 2D transperineal ultrasound, and surface electromyography (sEMG) in supine and standing positions, both at rest and during tonic contractions. Ten players presented an anteroposterior diameter of the levator hiatus (LH (ap)) > 4.5 cm in supine, which was significantly larger in standing (p < 0.001), especially in those with SUI (p = 0.010). Variations in electrical activity were associated with levator hiatus dimensions, suggesting possible functional adaptations. Incontinent players showed higher activation percentages (p = 0.029), while continent players showed greater amplitude during maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). A larger LH (ap) under load was observed particularly in players with SUI, who also showed a pattern of greater myoelectric excitation, potentially reflecting increased muscular demand during effort. Pelvic floor function in athletes exposed to repeated high-impact loading may depend on the balance between structural support and muscular activity, upporting the relevance of targeted evaluation and preventive strategies. Given the cross-sectional design, these results should be interpreted as associative.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe
- Alarming situation of emerging H5 and H7 avian influenza and effective control strategies
- Livestock and food security: vulnerability to population growth and climate change
- Atmosphere–ocean oxygen and productivity dynamics during early animal radiations
- Characterization of the global distribution and diversified plasmid reservoirs of the colistin resistance gene mcr-9
- The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.