Physiotherapy exercise protocol of pelvic floor muscles for young female athletes with urinary incontinence

Abstract

Intense physical activity or certain branches of sport have many health benefits but can also have harmful effects on the pelvic floor. In medical literature, intensive exercise is mentioned as a risk factor for urinary incontinence by loss of anticipated cushion contraction during physical exertion, impairment of pelvic muscle tone and strength, lack of pelvic floor muscle relaxation, which may lead to muscle exhaustion, all of this causing a lack of response during the rapid increase of intra-abdominal pressure. This study aims to design a recovery protocol to reduce or eliminate symptoms of urinary incontinence in young female athletes affected by this condition through a complex approach to the rehabilitation of pelvic floor muscle tone and strength and specific training programmes to create a “perineal blockage”, the automatic contraction of pelvic floor muscles during physical exertion and relaxation at rest, the correction of both lumbar posture and muscle imbalance in the abdominal-lumbo-pelvic (core) area. The case studies included two patients, young female athletes aged 15 and 20, suffering from urinary incontinence. The methods used were: literature review, observation, questionnaire survey (Contilife questionnaire), graphical method, mathematical and statistical method. The results show that the symptoms of involuntary urine leakage have disappeared from the physiotherapy treatment of patients and their quality of life has increased. However, it is recommended that this exercise protocol be continued at home or introduced to sports training at least once a week to maintain the outcome and prevent recurrence.