The Pelvic Proprioceptive Test (PP-Test): A Novel Pelvic Floor Evaluation in Female Athletes – A Reliability and Observational Study

Abstract

[eng] Objectives: Force sense (FS) is a proprioceptive component related with functionality, but no specific tests have been developed for pelvic floor (PF). We aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of a novel pelvic proprioceptive test (PPT) to explore FS and its relationship with maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in female athletes. Methods: A total of 42 female athletes (from 18 to 45 years old) were evaluated with digital intravaginal palpation and graded according to modified Oxford grading scale (MOGS) to ensure they had at least a grade 2 in MOGS and a correct PF contraction. All participants completed the PPT twice, 10 minutes apart, to obtain FS proprioceptive error (cmH2O). MVC was also obtained with manometry during the PPT. A perineometer-manometer was used for evaluations. Results: The test-retest reliability was excellent for force sense (ICC = 0.94, p < 0.001), with an average of 6.2 ± 4.6 cmH2O of proprioceptive error. A strong correlation was found between FS error and MVC (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The novel PPT shows excellent testretest reliability for assessing FS in terms of absolute proprioceptive error in female athletes and correlates with MVC: increased MVC strength is associated with reduced FS accuracy.