Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorJeffery, Stephenen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorPetro, Gregoryen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMkhombe, Welileen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2018-04-24T13:53:44Z
dc.date.available2018-04-24T13:53:44Z
dc.date.issued2018en_ZA
dc.description.abstractBackground: In the past few decades, an increasing number of women have been participating in high-impact sports which involves jumping, landing and/ or running activities. Recent data have shown, however, that this kind of activity might be associated with adverse effects, including pelvic floor disorders. Nevertheless, there is very little in the literature about pelvic floor effects associated with endurance sports where high-impact exercise is performed at submaximal intensity for prolonged periods of time. Objective: The primary objective of the present paper is to describe the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in a female triathlete population. Methods: An anonymous on-line survey was administered from September 2015 to March 2016 to women who self-identified as triathletes. We used two validated questionnaires: the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Questionnaire short form (PFDI) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire short form (PFIQ). In addition, respondents were asked for demographics (age, height, weight, occupation), general health status (medical history, pelvic/abdominal surgical history, pregnancy and birth history) as well as sport practice characteristics (duration of training, level of competition, number of hours spent per week swimming, cycling, and running), so as to characterise these female triathletes. The survey remained active online for seven months, during which time the majority of responses were obtained from having our survey on the IRONMAN December 2015 newsletter. The balance of responses came from various triathlon clubs which we had approached within Western Cape Province. Results: Sixty-seven female triathletes responded to the online survey which we designed on SurveyMonkey. The respondents were between the ages of 22 and 56 years, the mean being 37 years. They had a mean BMI of 22.6 kg/m2. None of them had any medical conditions known to increase the risk of PFD. Of the known surgical history risk factors, 74.6% had had no previous pelvic or abdominal surgery. In the cohort, 69.2% were nulliparous and 30.8% parous. Most of the respondents competed in the recreational age group (70.4%), compared with 29.6% who described themselves as being in the competitive age group. Over 94.4% of the participants had been involved in triathlon training for a period of more than 6 months. At the peak of their training, athletes described their weekly training regime as comprising a mean of 5.4 hours running, 3.9 hours swimming and 9.1 hours cycling. Of those who performed any form of 'core exercises', 29.6% performed pelvic floor exercises, 16.7% yoga, and 25.9% Pilates as part of their routine training. Eighty-two per cent of the triathletes had competed in the half IRONMAN and 37.8% in at least one full IRONMAN competition. The PFDI revealed a number of commonly occurring pelvic floor symptoms. The most reported urinary symptoms were urinary frequency, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) (45.8%, 33.3% and 37.5%, respectively). The most reported colorectal symptoms were incomplete bowel emptying (41.7%), faecal urgency (43.8%), and flatal incontinence (41.7%). Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms were least reported, but those who had symptoms mostly experienced heaviness or dullness in the pelvic area (33.3%), pressure in the lower abdomen (31.3%) and a need for vaginal/rectal digitation in order to have or complete a bowel movement (25%). It was noteworthy to find that the nulliparous triathletes had more pelvic floor symptoms than the parous group. A higher prevalence of colorectal/rectal symptoms were reported by those who had had forceps deliveries. Colorectal symptoms were found to be slightly more prevalent in those who performed any pelvic floor exercises (PFE), yoga or Pilates than amongst those who did not. Even with the myriad symptoms reported, these women were not significantly bothered by their symptoms. Conclusion: It is apparent that PFDs are prevalent in the population reviewed, although the majority of individuals did not seem to be bothered by the symptoms that also did not appear to interrupt training or quality of life. For those who are concerned or troubled by the symptoms, it would be beneficial for them to be identified early so that management options can be offered to relieve the symptoms.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMkhombe, W. (2018). <i>Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27827en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMkhombe, Welile. <i>"Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27827en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMkhombe, W. 2018. Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mkhombe, Welile AB - Background: In the past few decades, an increasing number of women have been participating in high-impact sports which involves jumping, landing and/ or running activities. Recent data have shown, however, that this kind of activity might be associated with adverse effects, including pelvic floor disorders. Nevertheless, there is very little in the literature about pelvic floor effects associated with endurance sports where high-impact exercise is performed at submaximal intensity for prolonged periods of time. Objective: The primary objective of the present paper is to describe the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in a female triathlete population. Methods: An anonymous on-line survey was administered from September 2015 to March 2016 to women who self-identified as triathletes. We used two validated questionnaires: the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Questionnaire short form (PFDI) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire short form (PFIQ). In addition, respondents were asked for demographics (age, height, weight, occupation), general health status (medical history, pelvic/abdominal surgical history, pregnancy and birth history) as well as sport practice characteristics (duration of training, level of competition, number of hours spent per week swimming, cycling, and running), so as to characterise these female triathletes. The survey remained active online for seven months, during which time the majority of responses were obtained from having our survey on the IRONMAN December 2015 newsletter. The balance of responses came from various triathlon clubs which we had approached within Western Cape Province. Results: Sixty-seven female triathletes responded to the online survey which we designed on SurveyMonkey. The respondents were between the ages of 22 and 56 years, the mean being 37 years. They had a mean BMI of 22.6 kg/m2. None of them had any medical conditions known to increase the risk of PFD. Of the known surgical history risk factors, 74.6% had had no previous pelvic or abdominal surgery. In the cohort, 69.2% were nulliparous and 30.8% parous. Most of the respondents competed in the recreational age group (70.4%), compared with 29.6% who described themselves as being in the competitive age group. Over 94.4% of the participants had been involved in triathlon training for a period of more than 6 months. At the peak of their training, athletes described their weekly training regime as comprising a mean of 5.4 hours running, 3.9 hours swimming and 9.1 hours cycling. Of those who performed any form of 'core exercises', 29.6% performed pelvic floor exercises, 16.7% yoga, and 25.9% Pilates as part of their routine training. Eighty-two per cent of the triathletes had competed in the half IRONMAN and 37.8% in at least one full IRONMAN competition. The PFDI revealed a number of commonly occurring pelvic floor symptoms. The most reported urinary symptoms were urinary frequency, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) (45.8%, 33.3% and 37.5%, respectively). The most reported colorectal symptoms were incomplete bowel emptying (41.7%), faecal urgency (43.8%), and flatal incontinence (41.7%). Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms were least reported, but those who had symptoms mostly experienced heaviness or dullness in the pelvic area (33.3%), pressure in the lower abdomen (31.3%) and a need for vaginal/rectal digitation in order to have or complete a bowel movement (25%). It was noteworthy to find that the nulliparous triathletes had more pelvic floor symptoms than the parous group. A higher prevalence of colorectal/rectal symptoms were reported by those who had had forceps deliveries. Colorectal symptoms were found to be slightly more prevalent in those who performed any pelvic floor exercises (PFE), yoga or Pilates than amongst those who did not. Even with the myriad symptoms reported, these women were not significantly bothered by their symptoms. Conclusion: It is apparent that PFDs are prevalent in the population reviewed, although the majority of individuals did not seem to be bothered by the symptoms that also did not appear to interrupt training or quality of life. For those who are concerned or troubled by the symptoms, it would be beneficial for them to be identified early so that management options can be offered to relieve the symptoms. DA - 2018 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes TI - Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27827 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/27827
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMkhombe W. Pelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletes. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2018 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27827en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherObstetrics and Gynaecologyen_ZA
dc.titlePelvic floor dysfunction in female triathletesen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMMeden_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hsf_2018_mkhombe_welile.pdf
Size:
2.17 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters