Surface Electromyography of Pelvic Floor Muscles in Healthy Children

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Abstract
Pelvic floor muscle activity was recorded in ten healthy children, aged six to ten years, by using surface electromyography and a polygraph writer. The electromyograms were recorded simultaneously from four electrode pairs on the perineum and three electrode pairs on adjacent muscle groups, i.e. hip and abdominis muscles. The children performed ten different manoeuvres. Necessary prerequisites for this investigatory method include good electrode application, adequate instruction of the child and the child's adjustment to the method. Using the described procedure, it was possible to record pelvic floor muscle activity without any appreciably detectable electrical influence from adjacent muscles. The method sometimes allows selective recording of electromyographic activity between the ventral urogenital and the dorsal anal regions. Therefore both anal and urethral electrode pairs should be used to achieve functional information about the pelvic floor muscles. The envisaged method should be useful as a tool for assessment of pelvic floor muscle exercises in children with voiding disorders.