Why do I pee when I run?
Maybe the last time you ran around Lake Hefner you had some leaking. Maybe you've stopped running to avoid peeing yourself. Regardless of when and how it started, you want to know how to stop it.
Incontinence when you are running, laughing, sneezing, or coughing is called stress incontinence. Not because you are stressed out, but because of the stress and strain on your pelvic floor muscles. Even in good shoes and with proper form, the continuous pounding from each step as you run can weaken your pelvic floor.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can look and feel different for each runner. You may experience pelvic pain while you are running, or your bowels feel really loose, or maybe you struggle to hold your urine back. These are all signs of a weak pelvic floor.
Isn't it time you called your Oklahoma City Physical Therapists to see what FYZICAL can do for you? CALL FYZICAL
Understanding the Pelvic Floor for Runners
Dr. Lauren Peterson with FYZICAL Oklahoma City talks about issues runners have specifically in their pelvic floor.
When you think about your muscles, what comes to mind first? Probably your legs or arms, maybe you think about your heart, but have you ever given any thought to your pelvic floor muscles? Your pelvic floor muscles are the foundation of your core. The functional job of your pelvic floor is to hold in all of your organs. They also provide support to the major muscles throughout the rest of your body including your legs and back.
As the name implies, your pelvic floor muscles are in your pelvis. They stretch from your pubic bone in the front to your tail bone (coccyx) in the back. These muscles can be strengthened and lengthened like any other muscle in your body. But to properly work your pelvic floor muscles requires proper coordination of breathing and adjacent muscles; your Oklahoma City Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist can provide the instruction and feedback needed to strengthen your pelvic floor.
For women, the pelvic floor keeps your bladder in place in the front and the rectum in the back. Your uterus is held in place at the top of the pelvic floor by muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. For men, the pelvic floor helps keep the bowels, bladder, urethra, and rectum in place.
Dysfunction in the pelvic floor is often not the first sign of other core weakness and dysfunction; you want a pelvic floor physical therapist(like those here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City) who can properly evaluate your back, pelvis, and habits to get the most out of physical therapy.
At FYZICAL Oklahoma City, our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists are prepared to assess how strong your pelvic floor is, what is causing your pelvic floor weakness, and how to get you stronger.
Just call to set up a free consultation today.
What is a healthy pelvic floor?
Your pelvic floor muscles are directly responsible for your bladder and bowel control, and your sexual functioning. Your pelvic floor muscles support all of the major organs in your abdomen including your bladder, bowels, and uterus (women). Your pelvic floor muscles have to be strong because they are vital to these activities and play a role in many more.
In addition to these direct functions, your pelvic floor needs to be strong to support you when you stand, walk, and run. Not to mention when you breathe.
An unhealthy pelvic floor can mean two things:
- true weakness
- overtightened muscles
Unfortunately, if your pelvic floor muscles are unhealthy, you can be left with bladder leaks and pelvic pain. Also, recent research has found that up to 95% of women with low back pain also have pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. That is just one more reason not to ignore your low back pain or hip pain.
Schedule a Free Consultation today.
How can Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy help my running?
Your Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist is first and foremost a physical therapist; an expert in optimizing your movement and functioning. The benefit of a Pelvic Floor PT is that she can address your pelvic floor, while also helping to address other deficits impacting your running.
The pelvic floor physical therapists at FYZICAL Oklahoma City understand your pain and leaking and they know how to resolve your issues. They are going to take you through a full evaluation of your movement and body mechanics, and develop a plan of care that targets getting you back to running the way you want without leaks.
There are three main things you need to do to improve the health of your pelvic floor muscles:
- You can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles by building up your muscles
- You can lengthen your pelvic floor muscles by stretching
- You need to learn proper coordination of breathing with your pelvic floor muscles
Having this strong foundation is going to give you more power and stamina for your running, proper breathing is going to help oxygenate your lungs, and that's all before considering the running technique or gait pattern that your physical therapist can help you out with.
The causes of a weak pelvic floor run a wide range. For women, pelvic floor dysfunction and weakness might be caused by trauma like the birth of a child. For men, pelvic floor dysfunction often follows surgery, like a prostatectomy. For both men and women, high-impact exercises like running and jumping, age-related changes (especially menopause), and stress can all lead to weakness of the pelvic floor muscles.
The men and women we treat with physical therapy for pelvic floor weakness here in Oklahoma City are smart, often strong, healthy individuals, but they haven’t been taught to use their pelvic floor muscles properly. The pelvic floor physical therapists at FYZICAL Oklahoma City understand your pain and leaking and they know how to resolve your issues.
Your pelvic floor muscles should work in cooperation with all the other muscles of your body and with physical therapy, they can. Isn’t it time to Love Your Life!
- Our PTs want you to remember “Leaks are Not Normal!” And you don’t have to suffer in silence.
If you have questions or are concerned about yourself or a loved one, set up an appointment with a healthcare provider. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City.
-FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides balance rehabilitation and orthopedic physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills, and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of pain, movement disorders, and musculoskeletal dysfunction including Parkinson's Disease. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your health needs. If you are unsure about your balance, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.