Background: The abdominal cavity, which is shaped like a balloon, is composed of abdominal muscles at the front and right side, paraspinal muscles at the back, the diaphragm in the upper abdomen, and the pelvic floor muscle the lower abdomen. Due to its structure, the pelvic floor muscle contracts in association with muscles around the abdominal area.
Objectives: To examine the effect of pelvic floor muscle strength on pulmonary function, particularly on the expiration.
Materials and methods: Postpartum women after 6 months of normal vaginal delivery and within age of 40 years were taken. Pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed with vaginal palpation and expiratory values were assessed before and during a pelvic floor muscle contraction through Pulmonary Function Testing
Results: FVC, FEV1 and PEF decreased during the contraction of the PFM, but the decreases were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The observed correlation between PFM contraction strength and forced expiratory flows may serve as theoretical background for a potential role of coordinated abdominal and PFM training in diseases with expiratory flow limitations.
Key words: pelvic floor muscle strength, vaginal palpation, intra-abdominal pressure, forced vital capacity, peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume, pulmonary function testing, and spirometer.
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