Pelvis position and lumbar lordosis in women with stress urinary incontinence

Abstract

The purpose here was to search for associations between lumbar lordosis and pelvis position, on the one hand, and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) on the other, by means of photogrammetry and radiography, also comparing results obtained by the two methods. Twenty women with SUI were compared to 20 continent controls. Lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvis symmetry, and pelvic bascule (PB) were analysed on the photographs taken; on radiographies of the lumbosacral spine, Cobb, lumbosacral and sacral inclination angles were measured. Comparisons between results were statistically analysed and significance level set at 5%. No significant differences were found between groups as to pelvis symmetry or LL, but a difference was found in the PB angle (-3.69 in SUI group, -8.18 in control), pointing to a trend to pelvis anteversion in the latter. As to the other angles, no differences were found between the groups; both women with SUI and controls presented as many pelvic changes, thus suggesting that LL and pelvis position do not interfere in SUI. The comparison between data of the total sample obtained by photogrammetry and radiography showed only a poor correlation between LL as measured by photography and the sacral angle as measured by radiography.