Leaking with exercise is common, but not normal! If you leak with running, jumping, or lifting weights this can be fixed! Some people assume this means their pelvic floor is weak or that it is just a normal part of aging or having children. Leaking during exercise is often more complex than simply being weak, and the right treatment depends on understanding what your body is actually doing during movement. At IdealFit Physical Therapy, we help active adults and postpartum women understand why leakage happens and how to return to exercise with more confidence.
Leaking with movement happens because of a pressure management problem. Your pelvic floor works with the rest of a group of muscles (the transverse abdominis, the diaphragm, and back muscles) to manage pressure in the core. We call this group of muscles the core canister. Leaking can happen when pressure is not managed well in that core canister. Kegels alone are not the solution, as they only address one part of that core canister.
Pelvic floor physical therapy focuses on identifying the reason symptoms are happening and building a plan specific to your body and goals. It is completely reasonable to believe you will be able to exercise without symptoms and without avoiding movements!
We are proud to offer pelvic floor physical therapy in Paducah! We love to get our active adults, postpartum moms, and anyone else looking to get rid of leaking symptoms back to exercise symptom free. To read more about how we do that, click here!
Dr. Rachel Atufunwa, PT, DPT