Have you ever heard about women who leak just a bit of urine when lifting weights at the gym? Or perhaps you have a friend who complains of small leakage or pain when going for a run? Or maybe when you exercise you may feel an intense pressure down there?
High-impact exercises, such as weight-lifting, crossfit, volleyball, soccer and even running, can compromise the mechanisms of support and suspension of the pelvic muscles, which undergo intense and repeated overload, promoting straining and weakening of the pelvic floor. During these activities, there is an increase in pressure inside your abdomen, which can add stress to your internal pelvic organs and consequently to your pelvic floor.
Studies on this subject are very recent but sufficient to show that the practice of physical exercise and sports consisting of exercises that demand a lot of effort and high impact can lead to the development of urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor dysfunctions.
So… what can we do when we are exercising to avoid pelvic floor problems?
- Avoid holding your breath – This increases the intra-abdominal pressure
- Properly contract your pelvic floor muscles at the moment of increased IAP
- Make sure you relax your muscles when you are resting from the exercise
- Follow a tailored pelvic floor exercise programme
If you already have any pelvic floor symptoms when exercising, make sure you treat it sooner rather than later.
Tauranga Pelvic Health Physiotherapy 