BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is multifactorial and attributed, in part, to weakness of the pelvic floor muscles. Despite being underestimated by many women, a functional pelvic floor assessment (FPA) may contribute to a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment. OBJECTIVES: To compare the function of pelvic floor muscles in continent and incontinent postmenopausal women as a diagnostic factor in UI treatment. METHODS: Based on the investigation of urinary symptoms, 153 women (age X=66.7±5.4) were divided into two groups (G1-incontinent and G2-continent). After analysis of the inclusion criteria, the women were submitted to FPA by means of bidigital palpation according to Contreras Ortiz (1994) and quantification of perineal strength with a perineometer (PERINA 996-2 QUARK®). RESULTS: There was prevalence of UI (54.9%) in the sample, with stress urinary incontinence (41.7%) as the most common. Regarding urinary symptoms such as diurnal (p=0.004) and nocturnal (p=0.02) voiding frequency, G1 had a significantly higher value. The FPA found similar results via palpation and the perineometer, with significant differences (p<0.001) between the two groups. We used descriptive statistics, the Student t test for independent samples, measures of prevalence and one-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni's post-hoc test (p<0.05). The software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 10.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used to perform all tests. CONCLUSIONS: Palpation and the perineometer were efficient forms of assessing the force and pressure of the muscle contractions of this muscle group.
urinary incontinence; pelvic floor; functional assessment
