Intense training has a problem, which exists, but is not usually talked about. It is something that affects women more, but also occurs in men. We are talking about stress urinary incontinence. It is one of the reasons for the importance of strengthening the pelvic floor, both in women and men.
In the case of women, as we say, these problems are more frequent, so we are going to pay them the attention they deserve and recommend the technique of hypopressive abdominals as a preventive and treatment measure.
Incontinence and pelvic floor problems
There are several studies on the subject. Let’s rescue some where They talk about young women and athletessomething that seems to us synonymous with health:
- In a group of nearly 1,500 female fitness instructors with a median age of less than 33, they found that 26.3% suffered from urinary incontinence problemswhich appeared when performing physical exercise, or when coughing or sneezing.
- In a survey of 291 athletes (categories such as volleyball, badminton, gymnastics, dance…) 51% admitted having urinary incontinence problems. The mean age was less than 23 years.
- In this study with 106 young female athletes, the 41% declared having incontinence problems the exercise, but only 5% discussed their problem with their doctor.
Definitely, stress incontinence problems derived from sports practice are a reality problem for young women. These problems also occur in women who play sports at an amateur level, for example, occasional runners, gym enthusiasts…
They are more frequent in sports that involve a lot of impact, jumping, important but short-lasting efforts (lifting loads) and deserve preventive care and treatment and to eliminate the problem if it already exists.
Hypopressives and strengthening of the pelvic floor
The elements (muscles and structures) that make up the pelvic floor must be prepared to resist the efforts of everyday life, but also intense and repeated efforts such as those produced in physical exercise.
There is a possibility that intense training in a sports activity that puts pressure on the pelvic floor ends up weakening it and making it susceptible to problems, such as the aforementioned incontinence.
but they exist preventive measures, such as a hypopressive exercise program, where muscles related to the pelvic floor are trained. Training is done in a way that these muscles do not suffer and tone and function are improved, making them optimal for prevention and treatment of pelvic floor problems.
Hypopressive exercise example:
As we say, it is recommended in female athletes, although there are also cases of stress incontinence in men, and hypopressive work is equally beneficial. This type of postpartum exercise is also recommended, always guided by health professionals who know this technique.
If you’re rookie exercisingremember the benefits that adding hypopressive exercises to your training habits can bring you.
This article was originally published by Miguel López Pareja in February 2017 and has been reviewed for republication.
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