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Background: The proper evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) is essential for choosing the correct treatment. Currently, there is no gold standard for the assessment of female PFM function. Objective: To determine the correlation between vaginal palpation, vaginal squeeze pressure, and electromyographic and ultrasonographic variables of the female PFM. Method: This cross-sectional study evaluated 80 women between 18 and 35 years of age who were nulliparous and had no pelvic floor dysfunction. PFM function was assessed based on digital palpation, vaginal squeeze pressure, electromyographic activity, bilateral diameter of the bulbocavernosus muscles and the amount of bladder neck movement during voluntary PFM contraction using transperineal bi-dimensional ultrasound. The Pearson correlation was used for statistical analysis (p<0.05). Results: There was a strong positive correlation between PFM function and PFM contraction pressure (0.90). In addition, there was a moderate positive correlation between these two variables and PFM electromyographic activity (0.59 and 0.63, respectively) and movement of the bladder neck in relation to the pubic symphysis (0.51 and 0.60, respectively). Conclusions: This study showed that there was a correlation between vaginal palpation, vaginal squeeze pressure, and electromyographic and ultrasonographic variables of the PFM in nulliparous women. The strong correlation between digital palpation and PFM contraction pressure indicated that perineometry could easily be replaced by PFM digital palpation in the absence of equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT | Background: As the population ages, changes occur in the epidemiological profile towards the current predominance of chronic degenerative diseases which, when untreated, lead to loss of functional capacity and require long-term assistance. Objectives: To describe the profile of the elderly attending the geriatric physical therapy service and to identify factors associated with functional disability. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study was conducted. The medical records of elderly individuals were analyzed using the first physical therapy assessment,which included sociodemographic, clinical and mobility data. To determine the degree of disability (mild/moderate),the Brazilian Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire (BOMFAQ) was used. Descriptive analysis and univariate logistic regression were performed, followed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: The sample comprised 130 elderly patients with a mean age of 73.3 [standar deviation (SD)=7.2] years-old, predominantly female(63.9%), sedentary (71.5%) and presenting three to four diseases (47.7%). The mean of activities with difficulty in the BOMFAQ was 6.7 (SD=4.8), 35 (26.9%) individuals presented mild disability and 95 (73.1%) moderate. The participantcharacteristic that presented a greatest risk of disability was self-reporting of poor health (OR=12.4). The factors identified,which together can determine functional decline, were sedentary lifestyle, presence of dizziness, polypharmacy and high pain intensity. Conclusions: Elderly individuals attended by the geriatric physical therapy service showed a profile associated with disability, characterized by potentially modifiable factors. This profile also reinforces the demand for long-term care for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]