Stress urinary incontinence and the female athlete

Female gymnasts, trampolinists, track athletes, and those who routinely run and/or jump are at a high risk of developing stress urinary incontinence. That’s right! It’s not just women who have had babies that can suffer from leakage. 

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is an unintentional loss of a small to medium amount of urine due to a sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure (i.e. when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, or run). It is estimated that approximately 50% of elite female athletes that participate in high-impact sport have some amount of urine leakage when they participate in their sport and when coughing or sneezing outside of activity.¹

Typically, when there is a sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure (such as when you jump or run, cough or sneeze), the pelvic floor muscles contract milliseconds before to help maintain closure of the urethra and rectum to prevent leakage of urine, gas, and/or stool. If the pelvic floor muscles are weak or lack coordination during that increase in intra-abdominal pressure, leakage will occur. 

The good news is, you don’t have to wear pads during exercise forever. A pelvic health physiotherapist can help! Our specially-trained pelvic therapists will do a thorough assessment to determine the cause of your symptoms and give you instruction on proper Kegel exercises to improve strength and coordination of your pelvic floor just like any other muscle group in the body. 

Click here to find a pelvic health therapist near you: https://www.lifemark.ca/services/pelvic-health

1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4327384/