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The following is a summary of “Comparative Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Hypopressive Breathing Techniques for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” published in the November 2024 issue of Surgery by Mitchell et al.    

Pelvic floor (PF) disorders affect 25% of females and may lead to pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition where pelvic organs descend. Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and hypopressive breathing (HB) are conservative treatments to improve PF function.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective to compare the effectiveness of PFMT and HB in improving PF outcomes in females with POP.  

They included 7 RCTs in the pooled analysis comparing PFMT and HB. The studies assessed outcomes like sEMG contractility, the Modified Oxford Scale (MOS), and the Pelvic Floor Disability Index (PFDI-20). Effect sizes were measured (PFMT: d=2.14 for sEMG contractility, d=1.07 for MOS; HB: d=1.24 for sEMG, d=0.78 for MOS).  

The results showed that PFMT demonstrated a more significant effect size for improving PF strength as measured by sEMG contractility (d=2.14) and the MOS (d=1.07) compared to HB (d=1.24 and d=0.78). However, HB had a more significant impact on QoL, with a higher effect size for the PFDI-20 (d=0.961) than PFMT (d=0.558). No significant difference was found for contractility outcomes.  

They concluded that PFMT was more effective than HB in improving PF strength, while HB positively impacted QoL in females with POP.  

Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(24)00663-9/abstract