When using Perifit Care(+), you may notice that your Contraction Quality is good while your strength score is low or vice versa. This can be confusing, but these measurements evaluate two different aspects of your pelvic floor contractions. Understanding the difference will help you interpret your results and know what to focus on during training.
1. What Is Contraction Quality?
Contraction Quality measures your ability to isolate and contract your pelvic floor muscles without engaging surrounding muscles, such as your abs or glutes.
During games, it's represented by the small speedometer in the top-right corner of the screen.
At the end of the game, you'll also see your overall Contraction Quality as a percentage.
The meter displays three possible results:
🟢 – Excellent! Your intra-abdominal pressure (measured by the top sensor) is low compared to the pressure generated by your pelvic floor contraction (measured by the bottom sensor).
🟠 – OK: Your intra-abdominal pressure is almost equal to your pelvic floor contraction.
🔴 – You can do better: Your intra-abdominal pressure is greater than the pressure generated by your pelvic floor contraction. This can happen when you cough, laugh or engage in a supporting movement.
In short: Contraction Quality tells you how well you're isolating your pelvic floor muscles when you contract.
For more information, see our article: Contraction Quality Meter.
2. What Is Strength?
Strength measures the maximum pressure your pelvic floor muscles can generate during a contraction.
In the Perifit Care app, it's calculated from the pressure difference detected by the probe's bottom sensor between your relaxed and contracted states.
For example, a strength score of 80 g means that the pressure difference between relaxation and contraction is 80 grams.
Your strength score is displayed in grams at the end of the game.
In short: Strength tells you how much force your pelvic floor muscles can generate.
3. Why Don't My Scores Always Match?
Because Contraction Quality and Strength measure different things, it's perfectly possible to have:
High Contraction Quality but a low strength score: You're isolating your pelvic floor muscles correctly, but the force of your contraction is still relatively low.
Good strength but low Contraction Quality: You're generating pressure, but you may also be engaging surrounding muscles instead of isolating your pelvic floor.
What about “Perfect” messages during games? These indicate that you've followed the game's contraction pattern correctly, rather than measuring your contraction technique or strength. You can learn more in our article: Why Am I Getting “Perfects” but My Contraction Quality Is Low?.
4. What Should I Focus On?
Contraction Quality should be your main focus, especially when you're starting out. Learning to contract your pelvic floor muscles correctly, without relying on surrounding muscles, is an important foundation for effective training.
If you're new to pelvic floor training or Perifit Care(+), we recommend spending some time with these exercises, all available from the Exercises tab:
Kegel Coach: Helps you learn how to contract and relax your pelvic floor muscles correctly.
Practice Lab: Gives you an opportunity to practise your contractions and improve your technique.
Picasso: Helps you put your technique into practice in a game environment.
As you become more comfortable with the technique, you can gradually build your strength through regular training.
Remember: A strong contraction isn't necessarily a good contraction if you're also engaging your surrounding muscles. Focus on technique first, and let strength develop over time.