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Why Elite Female Athletes Tend to Leak Urine
by Tara Galles, MS, OTR
Around 80% of elite female athletes leak urine [source]. This is a much higher rate than the 30% of exercising women who experience urine leakage during at least one type of exercise [source]. Girls and women become frustrated when their Kegel’s do not work (and sometimes even make symptoms worse). The higher the athletic performance, the higher the risk that, no matter the age, female athletes will leak urine. Why? Female athletes are constantly subjected to repeated, sudden, and considerable downward pressure onto the bladder and pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles are typically untrained to manage these forces.
The highest performing female athletes leak urine and their symptoms don’t depend on the normal factors.
Around 80% of elite female athletes leak urine [source]. This is a much higher rate than the 30% of exercising women who experience urine leakage during at least one type of exercise [source]. Girls and women become frustrated when their Kegel’s do not work (and sometimes even make symptoms worse). The higher the athletic performance, the higher the risk that, no matter the age, female athletes will leak urine. Why? Female athletes are constantly subjected to repeated, sudden, and considerable downward pressure onto the bladder and pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscles are typically untrained to manage these forces.
The highest performing female athletes leak urine and their symptoms don’t depend on the normal factors.
AGE IS NOT A FACTOR
While urinary leakage has a high coorelation with age in the general population, it isn’t the major factor in determining leakage in female athletes. A 2018 literature review of 385 studies found that the type and amount of sport women participate in are most influencial in predicting incident of urinary leakage, not age. Moreover, the higher impact the sport, the higher incident of urinary leakage [source]. This is good news for middle and late aged women who still participate in sport!
PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE STRENGTH IS NOT A FACTOR
A 2018 study of women who were approximately the same weight and height found that the athletes who trained on average 11.4 hours a week had a 61% rate of urinary leakage while women who trained 1.3 hours a week reported a leakage rate at 12.5%. The strength of pelvic floor muscles of athletes and of untrained women were not found to be significantly different — suggesting that that pelvic floor muscles don’t benefit from athletic training and require specific exercise to properfly function during sport [source].
CORE STRENGTH IS NOT A FACTOR
It doesn’t take a lot of googling to discover that pelvic floor muscles must coordinate with the core to function properly during sport and stay dry. While an athlete may have a strong core, they are often lacking in core coordination—transfering load though the rectus abdominus, engaging obliques evenly, utlizing ribcage mobility and more. Learning to coordinate the pelvic floor and intrabdominal pressure with impact in sport not only reduces urinary leakage but makes for a better athlete. Remember, the pelvic floor IS the foundation of all core stablization.
Each athlete is unique. While an athlete may be in control of her body for sport, she does not have full CONTROL! if she is leaking urine (or fecal matter, or experiencing pain from competing). Urinary leakage is common, but that does not make it normal. The more sophisticated the athlete, the more sophisticated she needs to become in coordinating her pelvic floor muscles and core coordination to stay dry during sport. So if you are an athlete, decide to Take CONTROL! Talk to you provider about therapy and make an appointment so you can be in full CONTROL! with your game.
Tara Galles, MS, OTR
Tara Galles, MS, OTR, is owner of You’re in CONTROL! With over 20 years of clinical experience she compassionately moves each woman to take CONTROL! of their body and rehabilitates them to feel like a natural woman again. As a mother of four children she also understands what it’s like to be a pelvic rehab patient. You may contact Tara about your pelvic issue at (765) 319-8420, or make an appointment using the button at the top of the page.