RÉSUMÉ
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of the sling massage exercise on postpartum pelvic girdle pain (PPGP). MethodsFrom March, 2022 to May, 2023, 56 patients with PPGP in Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were randomly divided into control group (n = 28) and observation group (n = 28). Both groups received routine physical therapy and healthy education, while the control group received exercise therapy and the observation group received sling massage exercise, for six weeks. They were assessed with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) and active straight leg raise (ASLR) test before and after treatment, and measured resting and contraction thickness of transversus abdominis with ultrasound; and integrated electromyography (iEMG), root mean square (RMS), median frequency (MF) and mean power frequency (MPF) of pelvic floor muscles with surface electromyography. ResultsAfter treatment, the total effective rate was 96.43% in the observation group and 78.57% in the control group (Z = 2.728, P < 0.05). All the indexes improved in both groups (|t| > 2.080, P < 0.05) except resting thickness of transverse abdominis muscle, and improved more in the observation group than in the control group (|t| > 2.161, P < 0.05). ConclusionThe sling massage exercise can alleviate pain, enhance the stability of the core muscle group, and improve load transfer and quality of life, better than exercise therapy.