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The female pelvic floor muscles (PFM) are arranged in distinct superficial and deep layers that function to support the pelvic/abdominal organs and maintain continence, but with some potential differences in function. Although general recordings of PFM activity show amplitude modulation in conjunction with fluctuation in intra-abdominal pressure such as that associated with respiration, it is unclear whether the activities of the two PFM layers modulate in a similar manner. This study aimed to investigate the activation of the deep and superficial PFM during a range of respiratory tasks in different postures. Twelve women without pelvic floor dysfunction participated. A custom-built surface electromyography (EMG) electrode was used to record the activation of the superficial and deep PFM during quiet breathing, breathing with increased dead space, coughing, and maximal and submaximal inspiratory and expiratory efforts. As breathing demand increased, the deep PFM layer EMG had greater coherence with respiratory airflow at the frequency of respiration than the superficial PFM ( P = 0.038). During cough, the superficial PFM activated earlier than the deep PFM in the sitting position ( P = 0.043). In contrast, during maximal and submaximal inspiratory and expiratory efforts, the superficial PFM EMG was greater than that for the deep PFM ( P = 0.011). These data show that both layers of PFM are activated during both inspiration and expiration, but with a bias to greater activation in expiratory tasks/phases. Activation of the deep and superficial PFM layers differed in most of the respiratory tasks, but there was no consistent bias to one muscle layer.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although pelvic floor muscles are generally considered as a single entity, deep and superficial layers have different anatomies and biomechanics. Here we show task-specific differences in recruitment between layers during respiratory tasks in women. The deep layer was more tightly modulated with respiration than the superficial layer, but activation of the superficial layer was greater during maximal/submaximal occluded respiratory efforts and earlier during cough. These data highlight tightly coordinated recruitment of discrete pelvic floor muscles for respiration.

Introduction Verbal instructions are used clinically to encourage activation of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM). Whether separate layers of PFM activate differently in response to instructions remains unknown. Aim To test the hypotheses that (i) instructions that aimed to bias activity of a specific muscle layer would increase activation of the targeted layer to a greater extent than the other layer, (ii) activity of individual PFM layers would differ between instructions, and (iii) PFM activity would be symmetrical for all instructions. Method PFM electromyography (EMG) was recorded using custom-designed surface electrodes in 12 women without PFM dysfunction. The electrode included 4 pairs of recording surfaces orientated to measure EMG from deep and superficial PFM on each side. 3 submaximal contractions were performed for 5 seconds in response to 7 verbal instructions. Root-mean-squared EMG amplitude was calculated for 1 second during the period when participants most closely matched the target activation level. A repeated-measures anova was used to test whether PFM EMG differed between instructions and between regions. The EMG increase of individual muscles relative to that of the reference muscle [deep/right PFM] was compared to no change with t-tests for single samples. Main Outcome Measure PFM EMG amplitude. Results Superficial PFM EMG was greater than deep PFM for all instructions (P = .039). 2 instructions induced the greatest amplitude of EMG for the superficial PFM: “squeeze the muscles around the vaginal opening as if to purse lips of your mouth” and “draw the clitoris in a posterior direction” (P = .036). Asymmetry was found in the deeper PFM in 3 instructions designed to bias the superficial PFM. Strength & Limitations This preliminary study recorded activation of deep and superficial PFM layers in females with a custom-designed novel electrode. Some cross-talk of recording between muscle layers is possible but unlikely to impact the major findings. Conclusion Verbal instructions used to teach PFM contractions can influence their pattern of activity. This study provides preliminary evidence that, in a selection of verbal instructions, the superficial PFM activates more than the deep PFM, and that the deep PFM can have asymmetrical activation. Aljuraifani R, Stafford RE, Hall LM, et al. Activity of Deep and Superficial Pelvic Floor Muscles in Women in Response to Different Verbal Instructions: A Preliminary Investigation Using a Novel Electromyography Electrode J Sex Med 2019;16:673–679.

International audience; Aims: Investigation of the function of the striated urogenital sphincter (SUS) is challenging because it is difficult to access and requires invasive measures. Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) is a non-invasive real-time technique used to estimate tissue stiffness. As muscle stiffness can be used as an estimate of muscle force, SWE provides an opportunity to study contraction of the peri-urethral musculature. Validation of SWE to study SUS during functional tasks, such as pelvic floor muscle contractions, is required prior to application in clinical populations.Methods: Ten healthy females (34[5] years) participated. Stiffness in a region expected to contain the SUS was quantified using SWE at rest and during a pelvic floor muscle contractions performed at 10%, 25%, and 50% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Two repetitions were performed for 10 s.Results: During contraction, stiffness increased in the region of the SUS in all participants and at all contraction intensities. Multiple regions of increased stiffness were detected, with 95.8% of regions situated ventral to the mid-urethra within the anatomical area of the SUS. The increase in stiffness was greater for 50% MVC than both 10% and 25% MVC contraction intensities (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Stiffness increased within the anatomical region of the SUS during voluntary pelvic floor muscle contractions with predictable response to changes in contraction intensity. These observations support the potential for ultrasound SWE to study SUS function non-invasively.

Objectives To investigate whether increases in stiffness can be detected in the anatomical region associated with the striated urethral sphincter during voluntary activation using shear wave elastography; to identify the location and area of the stiffness increase relative to the point of greatest dorsal displacement of the mid urethra (i.e. striated urethral sphincter); and to determine the relationship between muscle stiffness and contraction intensity. Subjects and methods Ten healthy men participated. A linear ultrasound transducer was placed mid-sagittal on the perineum adjacent to a pair of electromyography electrodes that recorded non-specific pelvic floor muscle activity. Stiffness in the area expected to contain the striated urethral sphincter was estimated via ultrasound shear wave elastography at rest and during voluntary pelvic floor muscles contractions to 5%, 10% and 15% maximum. Still image frames were exported for each repetition and analysed with software that detected increases in stiffness above 150% of the resting stiffness. Results Pelvic floor muscle contraction elicited an increase in stiffness above threshold within the region expected to contain the striated sphincter for all participants and contraction intensities. The mean(SD) ventral-dorsal distance between the centre of the stiffness area and region of maximal motion of the mid-urethra (caused by striated urethral sphincter contraction) was 5.6(1.8), 6.2(0.8), and 5.8(0.7) mm for 5%, 10% and 15% MVC respectively. Greater pelvic floor muscle contraction intensity resulted in a concomitant increase in stiffness, which differed between contraction intensities(5% vs. 10%; P