How Do I Stop Leaking When I Run?
It starts out gradually. A little wetness one day. Is that sweat? Did I pee on myself? Another day you feel a quick little woosh as you dodge to avoid another runner.. that you catch – almost in time.
How did I get this way?
How do I fix it?
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Did you know… Up to 50% of women will suffer from urinary incontinence at some point in their lives? 💡
Running, along with other high impact exercises, is fairly jostling on our body. Our pelvic floor is made to help absorb impact, or force, through our body and provide support and stability.
There are only two scenarios with this that we can potentially change – how much force is traveling through our body and how prepared our pelvic floor is to absorb this force. We also call this PRESSURE MANAGEMENT as these forces are putting pressure down on our bladder and pelvic floor.
Now, we can’t totally take away this force or pressure, not unless we stop moving. What we CAN do is look at our running mechanics and make it as efficient as possible to eliminate the excessiveness of these forces.
May the Force…
and Strength…
Be With You
Force (aka Pressure)
What does efficient running mechanics look like?
… it is more forward progression than excessive up and down movements
… it is how you land on your foot – soft not hard
… it is where you land on your foot – midfoot not heel
… it is keeping your center of gravity slightly forward
… it is how you use your core
… and how you are breathing with your core
Now everyone is different in how they run. In order to understand how efficient of a runner you are, and potentially how to be more efficient, you need an individual assessment by someone who has experience in running gait analysis.
Ok.. so now for the other part –
STRENGTH 💪💪
This does not mean do kegels until you drop, and actually everyone should be assessed prior to starting a pelvic floor exercise program to determine if it is something that is right for them. Sometimes it is the last thing we should do and could potentially make the leaking worse!
What if we find a pelvic floor weakness and determine strengthening would be beneficial? There are better ways to work on pelvic floor strengthening than JUST kegels.
Our pelvic floor is a vital part of what we call our core. Training it to work well in conjunction with the other muscles of our core is the best way to not only have a strong pelvic floor, but a strong core as well!
Remember - even though leaking during exercise is common - it is never normal! This is something that is super treatable (and easiest to treat when you catch it early). See a pelvic floor PT to find out what YOU need to work on to eliminate this nuisance. Do you need to change your running form or lifting mechanics? Core strength? Could your hips be contributing? (see 'Your Pelvic Floor Can be Connected to Your Hip Pain That Won't Go Away' previous blog post).
Reach out if you have ANY questions about this post or how pelvic floor PT can help you! If you are not local check out https://pelvicguru.com to find an excellent national directory to locate a PT near you.
