Pelvic Floor Muscle Contraction Among Physiotherapy Students Before and After "Women Health" Course

The study aim is to evaluate the ability to correctly contract pelvic floor muscle among physiotherapy students before and after "women health" course. Pelvic floor muscle contraction will be evaluated via transabdominal ultrasound.

Physiotherapy students during their studying in the physiotherapy Bachelor degree program will be examined. Students will be divided into 2 groups according to their year of studying (if they already studied "women health course or not implying 4th year students compared with 1-3 year level students). Each participant will be asked to contract the pelvic floor muscles. The assessment of pelvic floor contraction will be measured by measuring bladder displacement via abdominal ultrasound. A curved linear array transducer will be placed in the transverse plane immediately suprapubically over the lower abdomen angled at 15-30 degrees from the vertical. Upward movement of the bladder during contraction will be marked as correct contraction. An on screen caliper and measurement tool will be used to measure bladder amount of bladder displacement.

Ultrasound examination will be performed to asses urinary bladder displacement being a marker for pelvic floor muscle function

Inclusion Criteria: healthy students willing to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: has been treated before for pelvic floor rehabilitation active urinary tract infection pregnancy previous abdominal surgeries

the result of the study will be analysed. a paper will be submitted to international journal with study description including methods, examination protocol results

Ben Ami N, Dar G. What is the most effective verbal instruction for correctly contracting the pelvic floor muscles? Neurourol Urodyn. 2018 Nov;37(8):2904-2910. doi: 10.1002/nau.23810. Epub 2018 Aug 28.