Observational Study on the Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Female Athletes

Saornil, Jorge Velázquez; Méndez-Sánchez, Encarnación; Gómez-Sánchez, Sonia; Milá, Zacarías Sánchez; Cortés-Llorente, Ester; Martín-Jiménez, Ana; Sánchez-Jiménez, Elena; Campón-Chekroun, Angélica

doi:10.3390/ijerph18115591

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The lack of differences could be explained by the high intensity and volume that elite athletes performed each day, independently of their track and field specialization. In elite sports, PF displacements, neuromuscular fatigue, and morphological changes of the PF muscles are common risk factors facing elite female athletes [ 12 , 14 , 23 , 29 , 35 , 36 ]. In male athletes, anatomical differences with female athletes could reduce UI prevalence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Incontinence Among Elite Track and Field Athletes According to Their Event Specialization: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rodríguez‐López

Acevedo-Gómez²,

Romero-Franco

et al. 2022

Sports Med - Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Physical effort in sports practice is an important trigger for urinary incontinence (UI). Among high-impact sports, all track and field events require continuous ground impacts and/or abdominal contractions that increase intra-abdominal pressure and impact on the pelvic floor musculature. However, studies to date have not taken into account the specific sports tasks that elite track and field athletes perform according to the competitive events for which they are training. Methods This cross-sectional study describes the prevalence, type, and severity of UI among elite track and field athletes considering their event specialization and training characteristics. A total of 211 female and 128 male elite track and field athletes answered an online questionnaire including anthropometric measures, medical history, training characteristics, and UI symptoms. To determine self-reported UI, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-UI Short-Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) was used. To determine UI type and severity, the incontinence questionnaire and incontinence severity index were used, respectively. Results The ICIQ-UI-SF showed that 51.7% of female and 18.8% of male athletes had UI, with stress UI (SUI) being the most frequent type (64.4%) for female and urge UI for male athletes (52.9%). Of athletes who were not identified as having UI according to the questionnaires, 24.6% of female and 13.6% of male athletes experienced urine leakage during training, mainly during jumping. Although training characteristics (experience, volume, and resting) were not related to UI, female athletes specializing in vertical jumps showed significantly lower UI prevalence compared to those specializing in horizontal jumps (χ2 [1] = 4.409, p = 0.040), middle-distance running (χ2 [1] = 4.523, p = 0.033), and sprint/hurdles events (χ2 [1] = 4.113, p = 0.043). These female athletes also displayed the lowest training volume. No differences were shown for males (p > 0.05). Conclusions Over half of the elite track and field female athletes have self-reported UI, especially SUI, and prevalence is higher when considering urine leakage events during training. Training characteristics and specialization were not related to UI identified by questionnaires, but female athletes specializing in vertical jump events showed the lowest prevalence and training volume. Males showed significantly lower prevalence, without correlation with their specialization. Sport professionals should increase UI detection among elite athletes and design-specific approaches that consider their physical demands to make visible, prevent, or improve pelvic floor dysfunction in this population.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Incontinence Among Elite Track and Field Athletes According to Their Event Specialization: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rodríguez‐López

Acevedo-Gómez²,

Romero-Franco

et al. 2022

Sports Med - Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, it has been recently shown to have the lowest UI prevalence [1]. Subsequently, long-distance running is more likely to cause high UI prevalence due to the prolonged duration of force on PFM [31]. UI affects physical health and may negatively influence the adolescent's psychological well-being [32,33].…”

Section: Association Of Sui and Nulliparous Athletesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress Urinary Incontinence Among Young Nulliparous Female Athletes

Joseph

Srivastava

Ochuba

et al. 2021

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urinary incontinence (UI) is described as unintentional voiding of urine that is usually seen in post-partum and post-menopausal women due to the weakening of pelvic floor muscles (PFM). Recent studies have shown an increase in the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) among young nulliparous female athletes. The association between UI and high-impact physical activity is due to increased intra-abdominal pressure during high-impact sports exceeding intra-urethral pressure. Usually, the levator ani muscle (LAM) helps in urethral closure. However, weakening or injury of LAM can reduce the pelvic support and cause UI in young female athletes. This study aims to assess the prevalence of SUI among young nulliparous athletes and also explore the association between SUI and athletic sports in young females. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar as databases to find specific articles about the topic. After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 52 articles were selected for this review. It is found that there is an increased UI prevalence, mainly SUI, among young nulliparous female athletes, especially in volleyball players and long-distance runners. Nulliparous athletes involved in high-impact exercises were found to have an increased cross-sectional area of LAM and puborectalis muscle width. SUI is usually under-reported and underdiagnosed due to lack of knowledge and unawareness, which can negatively affect the personal and social life of young females. PFM training is considered the first line of therapy among nulliparous athletes. However, it is unclear whether the high-impact effects of sports cause UI through PFM fatigue or PFM damage. More research is needed to better understand this effect.

show abstract

“…Studies on SUI are scarce in female long-distance runners; however, the prevalence of SUI is generally high among female athletes. Rodriguez et al (2022) found prevalence of SUI in 64.4% of the female track and field athletes, and Velazquez et al (2021) found a prevalence of SUI of 89.3% [ 7 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute Effect of a Half-Marathon over the Muscular Function and Electromyographic Activity of the Pelvic Floor in Female Runners with or without Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study

Mendonça

Ferreira

Filho

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: to verify the acute effect of running a half marathon on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function and electromyographic (EMG) activity in female runners with and without urinary incontinence. Methods: This is a cross-sectional pilot study. The sample was divided into two groups: runners with urinary incontinence (with UI) and runners without urinary incontinence (without UI). A semi-structured form and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) were used for data collection. The EMG and PFM function were evaluated using the PERFECT method before and immediately after running a half marathon. Results: A total of 14 runners were included (8 with UI; 6 without UI). Runners with and without UI did not show significant differences for EMG and PERFECT. The acute effects of the half marathon on runners without UI were reduced PFM function in terms of strength (p = 0.00), reduced endurance (p = 0.02), and reduced repetition (p = 0.03), and an increase in EMG measured by the median frequency (p = 0.02). Runners with UI showed reduced PFM function in terms of strength (p = 0.05) and repetition (p = 0.01). Conclusion: there was no difference in the acute effects of the half marathon on PFM function and EMG in women with and without UI.

show abstract

Observational Study on the Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Female Athletes

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Urinary Incontinence Among Elite Track and Field Athletes According to Their Event Specialization: A Cross-Sectional Study

Urinary Incontinence Among Elite Track and Field Athletes According to Their Event Specialization: A Cross-Sectional Study

Stress Urinary Incontinence Among Young Nulliparous Female Athletes

Acute Effect of a Half-Marathon over the Muscular Function and Electromyographic Activity of the Pelvic Floor in Female Runners with or without Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About