Impact of a 12-Week Pelvic Floor Training on Urinary Incontinence in Functional Fitness Training Athletes

Plain-language summary

Functional fitness training (FFT) is a prominent exercise regimen, that has emerged as the dominant fitness trend of the 21st century , advocating high-intensity exercises with repetitive, impactful movements that often result in increased intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and neuromuscular fatigue. This demanding training pattern, characterized by minimal rest pauses, has been associated with potential health concerns, particularly urinary incontinence (UI). In athletes, UI is intricately connected to the frequency of exposure to increased IAP during high-impact activities. These activities assume even greater significance in sports, particularly in FFT, where there is an increased frequency of impactful foot contact on the ground and intensive abdominal exercises, potentially correlating with the overload of the pelvic floor muscles and the emergence of dysfunctions. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of a 12-week training program focused on Kegel exercises performed with diaphragmatic breathing in nulliparous female FFT athletes. The central hypothesis postulates that after the 12-week intervention, these women will exhibit enhancements in both the muscular activation and contractile capacity of their pelvic floor, leading to a reduction in instances of urine leakage.

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