Pelvic floor hypertonicity in women with pelvic floor disorders: A case control and risk prediction study

Myofascial pelvic pain is a chronic and debilitating condition, sometimes associated with pelvic floor disorders (PFD) such as urinary incontinence, defecatory dysfunction or pelvic organ prolapse. Our aim was to identify risk factors in women with PFD and hypertonic pelvic floor, compared to controls without hypertonicity.

Case control study (2009-2017) of patients with PFD and a diagnosis of hypertonic pelvic floor. Cases were matched with patients who presented with the same PFD but without pelvic floor hypertonicity. Postoperative patients with hypertonic pelvic floor were matched with patients who underwent surgery for the same PFD but did not develop pain. Risk factors were compared between groups.

Ninety-five cases were matched; 71% had urogynecologic surgery as a possible trigger for myofascial pain. Most were post-menopausal. Overall, case patients were younger than controls (mean 54 vs 59, P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression identified risk factors of younger age (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.04-2.07), history of depression (OR 3, 95%CI 1.03-9.09), musculoskeletal spine injury (OR 4.32, 95%CI 1.01-21.26) and transobturator midurethral sling (OR 8.36, 95%CI 2.68-31.32). Retropubic midurethral sling was protective against pelvic floor hypertonicity (OR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15-0.86). A clinical prediction model including depression, endometriosis, irritable bowel, spine injury and type of midurethral sling was developed to estimate the probability for myofascial pain after urogynecologic surgery.

Specific risk factors predispose women with PFD to chronic pelvic floor hypertonicity. Knowledge of these can help with patient counselling and choice of midurethral sling prior to PFD surgery.