Effect of Pelvic Floor Workout on Pelvic Floor Muscle Function Recovery of Postpartum Women: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: There is a risk of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) from baby delivery. Many clinical guidelines recommend pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) as the conservative treatment for PFD because pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) play a crucial role in development of PFD. However, there is disagreement about the method and intensity of PFM training and the relevant measurements. To pilot the study in PFM training, we designed a Pelvic Floor Workout (PEFLOW) for women to train their pelvic through entire body exercises, and we planned a trial to evaluate its effectiveness through comparing the outcomes from a group of postpartum women who perform PELFLOW at home under professional guidance online with the control group. Methods/design: The randomized controlled trial was projected to be conducted from November 2021 to March 2023. A total of 260 postpartum women would be recruited from the obstetrics departments of the study hospital and women would be eligible for participation randomized into experimental or control groups (EG/CG) if their PFM strength are scaled by less than Modified Oxford grading Scale (MOS) to be less than grade 3. Women in EG would perform a 12-week PEFLOW online under the supervision and guidance of a physiotherapist, while women in CG would have no interventions. Assessments would be conducted at enrollment, post intervention (for EG) or 18th to 24th week postpartum (for CG), and 1 year postpartum. Assessment would be performed in terms of pelvic floor symptoms, including MOS, cough stress test, urinary leakage symptoms, pelvic organ prolapse quantitation (POP-Q), and vaginal relaxation, clinic examinations including Pelvic floor electrophysiological test, Pelvic floor ultrasound and Spine X-ray, overall body test including trunk endurance test, handgrip test, body composition test, and questionnaires including International Physical Activity Questionnaire Score-Short Form(IPAQ-SF), Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Questionnaire-20 (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7), the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Primary analysis will be performed to test our main hypothesis that PEFLOW is effective with respect to strengthen PFM strength. Discussion: This trial will demonstrate that pelvic floor-care is accessible to most women and clinical practice on PFD may change relevantly should this study find that Online PEFLOW approach is effective to improve PFMs. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05218239.