Are There any Relations Between Posture and Pelvic Floor Disorders? A Literature Review

Abstract

Objective: Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) include a wide variety of diseases. According to biomechanical theories, it can be suspected that there are relations between posture and PFDs. This review tries to find out if there are any postural, bony or muscular changes in patients with PFDs. Methods: Relevant key words were used to search in different databases such as Medline, Cochrane, Elsevier and CINHAL. We found 22 related articles about postural change in patients with PFDs. Results: The results showed increased thoracic kyphosis, decreased lumbar lordosis, wider transverse pelvic inlet and outlet, increased contraction of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) with ankle in dorsiflexion, increasing protrusion in shoulders and decreasing in the angle of head in patients with PFDs compared to control group in different researches with different methodologies. Conclusion: From this narrative review, it can be concluded that postural changes may be seen more often in women with PFDs so it should be considered in conservative treatment methods in these patients.