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Can Athletes Have Pelvic Floor Problems?

As athletes we generally take pretty good care of our bodies. Sure, we have the occasional beer and pizza, but we often try to make healthy food choices. Many of us aim to be well-rounded and improve performance by doing both cardio workouts and strength training. We hit all the major muscle groups – we don’t skip leg day or arm day.

But one muscle group that is often overlooked is the pelvic floor! Just because you are in really good shape or are crazy strong does not mean you cannot have pelvic floor problems. Mind blowing, I know! We see quite a few runners, CrossFitters, and Burn Bootcampers in Lake Country with pelvic floor problems. Let’s talk about why it’s possible to have pelvic floor problems as an athlete and what can be done to fix it!

The Pelvic Floor = A Major Component of our Core

In order to understand how the pelvic floor affects our athletic performance, we first need to discuss the entire core system as a whole. (Your core is so much more than just your abs.) Think of your core as a soda can. The top of our can is our diaphragm, the bottom is our pelvic floor, and the sides are your deep stabilizing abdominal and back muscles. These muscles all work together to regulate the pressure in our abdomen.

If all of these muscles are functioning like they should, your core is like a full unopened soda can. It’s stable and strong! (Think about it – an unopened soda can is not strong because it has super thick walls. It’s strong because of the pressure in the can.) As soon as a part of your core is not functioning properly, that soda can is now opened. It isn’t very stable any longer. An opened soda can is easily dented or crushed. That’s when things can go wrong, like peeing your pants or experiencing pain during or after running, jumping, or lifting.

Pelvic Floor Requirements for Athletes

We as athletes are asking our core system to do A LOT on a pretty regular basis! We run. We jump. We bike. We lift heavy things. Sometimes we do all of that at the same time or in the same workout! Because we are athletes, we need that much more mobility and strength in our pelvic floor muscles in order to keep up with the demands of our active lifestyle.

Just like any other muscle in our body, the pelvic floor needs to be able to strongly contract when needed and be able to fully relax when needed in order to be functioning properly. Our pelvic floor muscles have some pretty important roles, such as providing sphincter control, supporting our internal organs, and stabilizing our back, pelvis, and hips (all of which are vital jobs during any form of exercise!).

If we neglect the pelvic floor, our entire core system will not be functioning at its best (think opened soda can). In fact, pelvic floor problems may actually be holding you back from hitting your next PR! You can’t lift, jump, or run your best without that strong, stable core!

Signs of Pelvic Floor Problems in Athletes

We see quite a few athletes in the Lake Country area with pelvic floor problems. It’s way more common than you may think! So how do you know if your pelvic floor isn’t functioning at its best? Here are some common complaints we hear from athletes who have pelvic floor problems:

• Leaking with jumping
• Leaking with running
• Leaking with heavy lifting
• Urinary frequency or urgency, especially during exercise
• Hip, pelvic, or back pain during or after exercise
• Constantly feeling tight in the hips and/or back (Do you feel the constant need to stretch? – We hear that complaint A LOT.)
• Chronic constipation
• Pain with intercourse, inserting a tampon or cup, or a gynecologic exam

If you don’t pee your pants, then your pelvic floor is functioning great, right? Not necessarily! As you can see from that list, peeing your pants isn’t the ONLY sign of pelvic floor dysfunction. And actually, a good chunk of our athletes with pelvic floor problems don’t pee their pants! We have had quite a few women initially come see us for back or hip pain with exercise, not realizing that the driver of their pain is…you guessed it…the pelvic floor!

Fixing Pelvic Floor Problems in Athletes

I think I might have pelvic floor dysfunction. What can I do about it? In general, we have found that more athletes tend to have pelvic floor tightness/overactivity versus pelvic floor weakness. In these cases, Kegels MAY NOT be the answer! Below are 2 easy pelvic floor relaxation stretches that you can start incorporating into your warm ups and cool downs. While in these poses, focus on deeply breathing into your belly and pelvic floor.

For more exercise-specific tips, check out our blog posts on resolving peeing with lifting, ending peeing with jumping, and how to fix leaking with running.

Tips Alone Not Solving Your Pelvic Floor Problems?

Then it’s time to reach out to a pelvic floor physical therapist! (And if you’re in Lake Country, shoot us a message!)

There are SO many factors that can contribute to pelvic floor problems in athletes – pelvic floor tightness, pelvic floor weakness, difficulty with the coordination of all of your core muscles, incorrect breathing patterns, technique faults, strength and/or flexibility imbalances in the muscles surrounding the pelvic floor – the list goes on!

The best way to determine exactly which factors are at play for YOU and YOUR SPORT is with an individualized evaluation. Take this as some friendly encouragement that it’s time to ditch the pad and black leggings and get that next PR!