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. 2020 Oct 21;17(2):314-322.
doi: 10.5114/aoms.2020.100139. eCollection 2021.

How to balance the treatment of stress urinary incontinence among female athletes?

Paweł Rzymski  1 , Bartłomiej Burzyński  2 , Michalina Knapik  3 , Jacek Kociszewski  4 , Maciej Wilczak  1
Affiliations

How to balance the treatment of stress urinary incontinence among female athletes?

Paweł Rzymski et al. Arch Med Sci. .

Abstract

Urinary incontinence in the general population occurs in 7% of non-pregnant women under 39 years old, 17% of those 40 to 59 years old, and 23-32% of those over 60 years old. In athletes the prevalence is higher, especially in high-impact training and gravity sports. Pelvic floor muscles (PFM) have two important roles; they serve as the support for abdominal organs and are crucial for closure of the urethra, vagina and rectum. We present the proper mechanisms of PFM caudal contractions with proper abdominal muscle control to avoid excessive intra-abdominal pressure. Pelvic floor sonography is discussed as the only objective method for pelvic floor examination among sportswomen and a tool which should be used routinely by urophysiotherapists and urogynecologists. A multidisciplinary individualized approach to stress urinary incontinence among athletes is presented including: physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging, use of a pessary, tampons, pharmacologic and surgical treatment. We present guidelines for stress urinary incontinence treatment in sportswomen of different age.

Keywords: athletes; diagnostic imaging; high impact training; physiotherapy; urinary incontinence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pelvic floor sonography with a transvaginal probe (PFS-TV), U – urethra, BL – bladder, PB – symphysis pubis, D – elevation over reference line (lower margin of symphysis pubis). During the examination the physiology of urethral movement is followed: during urethral closure (D1) and during pushing (D2) with intraabdominal pressure
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interdisciplinary treatment of stress urinary incontinence in sportswomen
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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