Why am I leaking when I exercise? (Pelvic Floor 101)

(3 min read)

Peeing (leaking) when you laugh, sneeze, exercise or cough is not normal but it is common. It’s called stress incontinence. ⚡️

Let’s chat for a minute about why this happens.  

The main job of your pelvic floor is to help manage ‘pressure’ in your torso. If you think of your torso like a house, the walls of the house are your abdominal muscles (aka your core) that wrap all the way around, the roof is your diaphragm and the floor is your pelvic floor.

Understanding anatomy of the torso (front view) as it relates to the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor.

Pressure on your pelvic floor can come from something as simple as gravity, but also include pressure can be created in our torso from coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting weights and impact like jumping, or running. Your pelvic floor also functions to provide important support and control of your bowel (rectum), bladder, and uterus and vaginal opening (for those with uteruses and vaginas).  

Torso (side view) anatomy in relation to the pelvic floor muscles.

Normally, the pelvic floor reflexively contracts just ahead of this pressure, and with enough force to meet the demands of the task. When this happens we don’t leak. But… sometimes the muscles fall behind 🐢 and things can get messy 💦. This slow reaction can happen for a few reasons. It’s not something reserved for a “weak” (which is a terrible word that I resent is a descriptor for such bad ass group of muscles) pelvic floor. It can happen when the pelvic floor musculature is too tight as well. It is also not just something that just happens in postpartum 🤱🏻 or to only people who have given birth vaginally. It can happen to anyone with a bladder even if they have never had a baby before (fellas too). 🙋🏻‍♂️

Click here to read on for part 2 of my pelvic floor blog series: Not your Mama’s Kegel.

Are you experiencing symptoms of peeing (leaking) with exercise? Or peeing with coughing sneezing or laughing after having a baby? Or just general? Stay tuned for more pelvic floor content on Instagram (@drlauralatham), here in blog form, as well as Dr Laura’s Functional Pelvic Floor Workshop in June. Register here!

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