5 Tips to STOP Leaking with Running/Jumping/Lifting
It’s something I hear ALL the time as a pelvic health physical therapist >>> “Yeah, I just leak a little bit when I run/jump/lift/exercise, but I thought it was just something I had to live with…” Hold up! Nope, you actually don’t have to live with leaking and pelvic floor PT is one of the top treatment options to help with this.
Contrary to popular belief, leaking urine (incontinence) is NOT exclusive to people who’ve had babies. Tweens, teens, high level athletes, older folks, menopausal people can ALL experience incontinence when doing higher level exercises.
Living with leaking or surgery are not your only options. Pelvic floor PT helps you get in-tune with your pelvic muscles, your breathing, strength, and your movement patterns to address weak links in your system and help you stop leaking so you can do the things you love.
TOP 5 TIPS TO STOP LEAKING WITH EXERCISE
Schedule a consult with a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist!
Yep, you knew we were gonna say this! Even just a couple visits with a pelvic floor physical therapist that also specializes in helping higher levels exercisers can make a world of a difference. Having a better understanding of your pelvic floor, spine, core, hips, and movement patterns can help you troubleshoot what exactly might be driving your leaking problem. One common belief is that urinary leaking happens because the pelvic floor is too weak, however, this is sometimes not the case at all! Your leaking problem could be due to pelvic floor muscles that are too tight, faulty breathing patterns, poor loading or landing patterns, posture during exercise, etc. A skilled PT will help you determine the WHY for you!
Breathing is KEY
I know, we all breathe all day everyday, but they way in which you breathe can make a big difference in leaking. The diaphragm muscle (the primary breathing muscle, that sits like a dome underneath your rib cage) works in conjunction with your pelvic floor muscles. Every time you inhale your pelvic floor should lengthen just a bit, and every time you exhale your pelvic floor should lift back up just a bit. If you are holding your breath or sucking in your belly, it makes it more difficult for the diaphragm/pelvic floor system to work optimally together, which over time can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction such as leaking. Exhaling upon landing from a jump, or exhaling during the hardest part of a heavy lift can be very helpful.
Stack your rib cage over your pelvis
This concept builds off of #2. When you stack your rib cage over your pelvis, you are stacking your diaphragm muscle over your pelvic floor muscles. This helps the pelvic floor and breath work better together, and helps the pelvic floor manage pressures and loads better = less leaking. For example, when you start jumping rope, try not to overly flare your rib cage and arch your back, but also try not to round your shoulders and have your butt tucked under. Stand in a more “neutral position” with ribs over pelvis, keeping a steady breath pattern.
Assess your landing patterns
If you are running or jumping and landing heavy or hard on the ground (think a heavy heel strike, or a loud flat foot landing), then that could make it harder for the pelvic floor to absorb that load and possibly exacerbate leaking. One thing I will have my patient’s do is film themselves from the side and the front while jumping or running on a treadmill. Then we can experiment with changing how they land on the ground, or strike their foot while running, all of which can change the overall biomechanics and improve leaking.
Build up your threshold
Say you can jump rope for 20 seconds, do 3 deadlifts, or run for 1 minute without leaking…but when you go over that threshold you leak. Then keep working right at that threshold! Work on your posture, breath, landing patterns, etc. and as your body adapts, you will notices that you can go a little bit longer, and so on until you reach your goal.
Helping you stay active without leaking is something we LOVE to do at Awake Pelvic Health & Wellness. If you have been struggling with leaking during exercise, or perhaps have tried pelvic floor physical therapy without getting the results you want, reach out! We’d love to help you reach your goals!
