Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes
Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) consists of disorders that involve urinary incontinence (UI), anorectal dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. While physical activity benefits overall health, high-impact and strenuous exercise may contribute to PFD due to incr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Quality in Sport |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/59477 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849761075277332480 |
|---|---|
| author | Agnieszka Pawlik Adrianna Tabeau Patryk Dudek Wiktoria Ulicka Klaudia Łuczak Justyna Pięta Hanna Sitarek Joanna Prus Marcel Chudzikowski Agata Prokopiuk |
| author_facet | Agnieszka Pawlik Adrianna Tabeau Patryk Dudek Wiktoria Ulicka Klaudia Łuczak Justyna Pięta Hanna Sitarek Joanna Prus Marcel Chudzikowski Agata Prokopiuk |
| author_sort | Agnieszka Pawlik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) consists of disorders that involve urinary incontinence (UI), anorectal dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. While physical activity benefits overall health, high-impact and strenuous exercise may contribute to PFD due to increased intra-abdominal pressure. This study examined PFD prevalence in female athletes and their knowledge of the condition. The prevalence of UI is significantly higher in female athletes compared to the general population, with high-impact sports such as gymnastics, basketball, and volleyball demonstrating the greatest risk. Anorectal dysfunction is less studied but appears more prevalent in endurance and high-intensity athletes. POP remains underexplored, though some studies suggest sports do not worsen the symptoms. Additionally, sexual dysfunction, particularly dyspareunia, is common but poorly understood among athletes. Despite the high prevalence of PFD, knowledge among sportswomen remains limited, with misconceptions contributing to reluctance in seeking medical care. There is a pressing need for educational interventions to improve awareness of PFD in female athletes. Additionally, the implementation of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has shown promise in preventing and managing UI. Future research should expand beyond UI and particularly include sexual health and anorectal dysfunction, to ensure comprehensive care for female athletes.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ef3706ef541d4803b3f312393b22fa2d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2450-3118 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quality in Sport |
| spelling | doaj-art-ef3706ef541d4803b3f312393b22fa2d2025-08-20T03:06:09ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńQuality in Sport2450-31182025-04-014010.12775/QS.2025.40.59477Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletesAgnieszka Pawlik0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9043-0405Adrianna Tabeauhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-2881-8491Patryk Dudekhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-9103-7905Wiktoria Ulickahttps://orcid.org/0009-0003-5442-3439Klaudia Łuczakhttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-8209-0121Justyna Piętahttps://orcid.org/0009-0007-2835-5064Hanna Sitarekhttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-4507-3038Joanna Prushttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-6274-7436Marcel Chudzikowskihttps://orcid.org/0009-0003-2268-6154Agata Prokopiukhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-3668-6512Bielanski Hospital 80 Cegłowska Street, 01-809 Warsaw Pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) consists of disorders that involve urinary incontinence (UI), anorectal dysfunction, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. While physical activity benefits overall health, high-impact and strenuous exercise may contribute to PFD due to increased intra-abdominal pressure. This study examined PFD prevalence in female athletes and their knowledge of the condition. The prevalence of UI is significantly higher in female athletes compared to the general population, with high-impact sports such as gymnastics, basketball, and volleyball demonstrating the greatest risk. Anorectal dysfunction is less studied but appears more prevalent in endurance and high-intensity athletes. POP remains underexplored, though some studies suggest sports do not worsen the symptoms. Additionally, sexual dysfunction, particularly dyspareunia, is common but poorly understood among athletes. Despite the high prevalence of PFD, knowledge among sportswomen remains limited, with misconceptions contributing to reluctance in seeking medical care. There is a pressing need for educational interventions to improve awareness of PFD in female athletes. Additionally, the implementation of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) has shown promise in preventing and managing UI. Future research should expand beyond UI and particularly include sexual health and anorectal dysfunction, to ensure comprehensive care for female athletes. https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/59477pelvic floor dysfunctionpelvic floor disorderspelvic floorurinary incontinencepelvic organ prolapseanorectal dysfunction |
| spellingShingle | Agnieszka Pawlik Adrianna Tabeau Patryk Dudek Wiktoria Ulicka Klaudia Łuczak Justyna Pięta Hanna Sitarek Joanna Prus Marcel Chudzikowski Agata Prokopiuk Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes Quality in Sport pelvic floor dysfunction pelvic floor disorders pelvic floor urinary incontinence pelvic organ prolapse anorectal dysfunction |
| title | Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| title_full | Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| title_fullStr | Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| title_short | Pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| title_sort | pelvic floor dysfunctions in female athletes |
| topic | pelvic floor dysfunction pelvic floor disorders pelvic floor urinary incontinence pelvic organ prolapse anorectal dysfunction |
| url | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/59477 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT agnieszkapawlik pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT adriannatabeau pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT patrykdudek pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT wiktoriaulicka pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT klaudiałuczak pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT justynapieta pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT hannasitarek pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT joannaprus pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT marcelchudzikowski pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes AT agataprokopiuk pelvicfloordysfunctionsinfemaleathletes |