By: Sydney Stevens, PT, DPT, PRPC
Incontinence is the involuntary loss of motor function. This is commonly associated with urinary incontinence, which is the involuntary loss of urine, and with fecal incontinence, which is the involuntary loss of feces.
There could be a couple of contributing factors that lead to incontinence, beginning with the core’s pressure management. I find a lot of times in practice that patients feel like their pelvic floor and core muscles are weak. Sometimes the muscles are actually tight and cause restrictions preventing the full range of motion for strength. This could cause motor dysfunction.
A tight muscle is often a weak muscle. This is often due to the restrictions caused by compensatory actions. If you have tight muscles, I work on helping you relax those muscles before building up strength.
On the other hand, if your muscles truly have strength deficits, we focus on motor coordination and strengthening. Often, I see patients hold their breath when they do a pelvic floor contraction, and this tells me that there is a lot of built-up intrabdominal pressure.
Whether the muscles are tight or truly weak, I help patients regulate their motor and breath coordination to aid in their full available range. I will have patients focus on their breathing as they contract and relax their muscles so we can work to manage the pressure in their pelvic floor and core.
Learn more about pelvic floor stability and mobility in “Athletes and the Pelvic Floor” on the Spooner Blog
Incontinence in Athletes
A history of physical or emotional trauma, coaching trauma, restrictive eating habits, or poor muscle coordination can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction in athletes. Sometimes athletes will come to be with pain that seems unrelated to the pelvic floor, but, after evaluating them, I find true pelvic floor dysfunction.
This can happen to any athlete- triathletes, bikers, swimmers, runners, and tactical athletes. Often, my athletes have hypertonic- or tight- pelvic floor muscles which are the root cause of the symptoms they are experiencing. I often find they may have poor muscle coordination because their muscles are so tight versus just muscle weakness.
High-impact athletes- like runners, high jumpers, vaulters, and bikers- often have reports of incontinence. This is due to the impact of their sport. So, we need to work on their pelvic floor coordination during an impact or plyometric movement.
Male athletes can have tight pelvic floor muscles as well. Tactical athletes, for example, must stand erect, which may lead to them clenching their glutes for long periods. This tightness can weaken the pelvic floor over time because they are not taking their muscles through their full available range of function.
It’s incredibly helpful to have a physical therapist on any athlete’s team to help with motor coordination and identify any dysfunction. We dive deeply into small muscle groups that may hinder your performance and/or cause you pain. We are your weekly advocate to have a plan to help your overall motor coordination.
The pelvic floor, specifically, is a small group of muscles that make a big impact, and often we don’t think about it. Spooner pelvic floor physical therapists can help you fine-tune this muscle group so you can move, feel, and perform your best.
Take control of your pelvic health and improve your performance with the expert care of Spooner pelvic health physical therapists. Schedule an appointment today!