Some women avoid active sports due to a weak bladder
Some women are missing out on healthy, active sports because of symptoms related to a weak bladder. In a recent survey of 679 women of childbearing age, sports that involve repetitive bouncing, such as tennis, squash and basketball, were associated with the highest incidence of urinary stress incontinence episodes according to Italian researchers from University of Insubria, Del Ponte Hospital, Varese.
Stress incontinence is characterized by an involuntary loss of small amounts of urine in response to increased pressure on the bladder. This occurs during coughing, sneezing, lifting, bending or exercise. It is the most common type of urinary incontinence in women. About half of all women suffer from this problem at some point, and it becomes more prevalent with age. It is often caused by damage to the pelvic floor muscles and support system of the bladder as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, or possibly the effects of aging. In this study, the researchers found that obesity also increased the incidence of having the condition.
In this study, 1 in 7 women were bothered by urinary stress incontinence and nearly half of those affected said the condition occurred during routine activities, while almost a third said they leaked urine only during sports activities. One in 10 women said the problem led them to give up their favorite sport, while one in five women said they limited the way they played the sport in an effort to decrease leakage episodes.
Although this condition was bothersome and disruptive to their lives, few of the women in the study had ever sought help. Only 5 percent of the women with episodes of stress incontinence said they regularly performed pelvic floor exercises (Kegals) which have been shown to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of this condition. People are often reluctant to seek help for this troubling problem partly because it is an awkward and embarrassing subject, but also because there is a prevailing misconception that nothing can be done. Ask your doctor or health care provider for help. In most cases, the symptoms can be controlled or cured.
via British Journal of Sports Medicine, September 2008
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