Leaking Pee When You Run

Have you ever mustered up the determination to start running, just to find yourself leaking pee as you jog down the street?

This something called stress incontinence, and can be damaging to our self esteem and ability to participate in physical activity.

The good news is pelvic floor physical therapy is here to help.

Let's dive into why you might find yourself in this situation.

Causes For Stress Incontinence In Athletes

Leaking urine during athletics is a surprisingly common problem in all ages of women, including in adolescents. The cause can be complex and is typically not resolved by simply doing kegels to strengthen the pelvic floor.

I often see a tight pelvic floor in female athletes suffering from this issue. The pelvic floor will compensate for breakdowns in the core system, including breathing, posture and abdominal wall activation, and become overly-tense as a result. This can lead to pee leaks.

The pelvic floor may also be stressed due to decreased hip stability and appropriate hip muscle activation. This can also result in pee leaks.

Healing Stress Incontinence

The first step in healing stress incontinence comes from a pelvic (vaginal) exam.

It's important for your pelvic floor physical therapist to assess the muscles directly responsible for controlling urine to find out why they are struggling to do their job.

Are they overworking or underworking? We first have to answer this question.

Only from there can we begin to investigate how to fix it. Often times we have to peel back some layers, including abdominal wall activation, posture, and hip stability in order to correct the pee leaks.

Conclusion

Leaking pee is very common but never normal. It can be especially devastating in athletes.

Do not push through your pee leaks as your body is communicating something to you!

Instead, make sure you book a session with your pelvic floor PT to heal your pee leaks today.