Running with Bladder Leakages

For some, getting back into running is a priority post-partum, but leakages can put a damper on this plan (pun intended!).

Urinary leakage can happen with coughing, laughing, sneezing, walking, lifting, jumping, and running. Often, people may not notice it until they start to do an activity like running. Kegels are the first treatment often employed but if symptoms are not reducing, we need to look further and deeper into the issues. Because running involves whole body movement, we then MUST look at the movement itself. Doing kegels lying down or while waiting at a stop light might not cut it in solving your issues so pay attention to if any of the following is happening:

Breathing

How are you breathing while you run? Are you a nose or mouth breather? Do you tend to breathe into the chest, mid chest or ribcage, or into the belly?

Abdominal muscles

Over-gripping of the abdominal muscles can lead to increased downwards pressure on the pelvic floor. If you tend to engage your core with physical activity, try decreasing how much you engage it and focus on getting nice long inhales and exhales instead.

Hip Weakness

Are your hips able to support your frame as you are running? The glut bum muscles in the back and the hip flexors in the front are huge muscles that propel you forward, working alongside the knee muscles. Unresolving leakage may involve the hip or knee muscles and functionally training these would be key.

The Pelvic Floor

Functionally training the pelvic floor for the task it is a part of is a very important part of rehab. If you are doing kegels lying down, they might not transfer to running and jumping. Doing kegels progressively harder and harder trains the muscles to know what to do when you are running so you don’t have to think about doing a kegel when you run. Try doing kegels in standing, with squats, lunges, walking, and finally jumping.

Running Posture

Running with your chest up and out is something you may have been told to do in your high school cross country club, but this can lead to increased pressure on the pelvic floor. If you think you run with your chest out, try running leaning forward (like running uphill) as this aligns the pelvis over the ribcage better, and notice how that feels on your pelvic floor.

If you try the above strategies and continue to have bladder leakage, a full assessment with a trained Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist can provide you insight into what exact exercises would be most beneficial for you.