The effect of pelvic muscle relaxation training on the rehabilitation of patients with increased pelvic floor muscle tone: a randomized controlled trial

Increased pelvic floor muscle tone significantly impacts postpartum women’s quality of life, leading to issues such as incontinence and sexual dysfunction. This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the added benefit of combining pelvic girdle (the muscles surrounding the hips and pelvis) muscle relaxation training with conventional vaginal electrical stimulation and biofeedback in postpartum women diagnosed with increased pelvic floor muscle tone (resting surface electromyography, sEMG, > 4 μV). A total of 190 eligible postpartum women were randomly divided into a treatment group (n = 95) and a control group (n = 95). The control group received vaginal electrical stimulation and biofeedback for 5 weeks (15 sessions), while the treatment group received the same conventional therapy supplemented with a structured pelvic girdle muscle relaxation training (comprising 7 specific exercises, performed for 2–3 sets per day). After a 15-session treatment course, the resting sEMG values were significantly lower in the training treatment group (3.22 ± 1.35 μV) than in the control group (6.28 ± 2.19 μV, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the manual muscle strength (Modified Oxford Scale) and pelvic floor Glazer scores were significantly higher in the treatment group (e.g., Glazer score: 76.6 vs. 73.3, P < 0.001). Both groups showed significant improvements in pelvic organ prolapse (POP-Q) severity, but there were no differences between the two groups in endurance contraction sEMG values or POP-Q scores after treatment. These findings suggest that integrating pelvic girdle muscle relaxation training with conventional therapy provides added benefit in alleviating increased muscle tone and enhancing muscle strength in postpartum women with increased pelvic floor muscle tone. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of this combined approach.