While it may be prevalent, it is not normal to leak urine while running or performing impact activities. Leaking urine when running, jumping, coughing, sneezing and lifting is called stress urinary incontinence. It is common for women over the age of 30 and post-partum to develop stress urinary incontinence.
The pelvic floor is part of the deep core. When we think about the core we should be thinking about the abdominals, the diaphragm (breathing muscle), the spinal muscles, and the pelvic floor. These muscles work synergistically to control intra abdominal pressure. When leaking happens during running it is secondary to a muscle imbalance of the aforementioned muscles.
Pelvic Floor Therapy for Urinary Incontinence
Physical therapy to address stress urinary incontinence typically consists of pelvic muscle strengthening, transverse abdominis strengthening, and improving landing mechanics. A patient should visit a physical therapist before starting pelvic exercises. While some professionals might tell you to kegel throughout the day, a pelvic physical therapist will evaluate the strength of the pelvic floor and adjust the exercises accordingly to work on the slow and fast twitch muscles of the pelvic floor.
Hip Exercises for Urine Leakage
Here are some hip exercises to try in the meantime:
Tall kneeling bridge
Start tall kneeling. Keeping your back straight, bend forward at your hips as if you were performing a squat. Then return to the starting position and repeat. 2 sets of 15 reps
Squat to heel raise
Start into a low squat and then rise up on to toes. 3 sets of 30 seconds.
Marching with kettlebell hold
Hold a 10-15# kettlebell in one hand. Slowly lift up one knee to hip height. Walk forward 20 ft and then switch hands. Continue for 3 minutes.
