Ultrasound-Based Morphofunctional Assessment of the Transversus Abdominis and Urinary Incontinence in Female Rugby...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Physiotherapy
• Female Athlete Health

Background:

• Female rugby players face high physical demands, potentially impacting lumbopelvic control and intra-abdominal pressure regulation.
• Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) can assess transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle thickness, but its direct link to neuromuscular activation or sport-specific function requires further investigation.
• Urinary leakage is a concern in female athletes, necessitating research into contributing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize ultrasound-derived TrA thickness and thickness changes in nulliparous female rugby players.
• To explore associations between TrA measures, visual feedback, sport-related variables, body mass index, and urinary leakage.
• To investigate the prevalence of urinary leakage in this cohort.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 34 nulliparous female rugby players.
• Assessment of urinary leakage using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF).
• Measurement of TrA thickness at rest and during the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) with and without real-time visual feedback using RUSI.

Main Results:

• 20.6% of participants reported current urinary leakage, predominantly stress urinary incontinence with low perceived impact.
• TrA thickness significantly increased during ADIM compared to rest.
• No significant associations were found between current urinary leakage and TrA thickness measures, training variables, or body mass index.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound-derived TrA thickness during controlled ADIM tasks was not significantly associated with urinary leakage in this exploratory sample of female rugby players.
• Future research should incorporate larger sample sizes, direct pelvic floor muscle assessment, and dynamic, sport-specific tasks.
• Further investigation is needed to understand the complex factors influencing urinary leakage in female athletes.