Leaking when you sneeze, run or when your horse spooks is not normal!

Leaking when you sneeze, run or when your horse has a little spook is not normal! It’s a warning sign that your pelvic floor is not working as it needs to be and this tends to get worse when you hit menopause. Pelvic health is not really talked about, women generally shut up and get on with it, thinking it’s normal as we age or after child birth. When women have pelvic health issues it can cause a lot of anxiety and stop them doing things they’d like to do, riding being one.

The pelvis is like a bowl and the pelvic floor muscles run from the front pubic bone to the tail bone at the back and side to side onto each seat bone creating a kind of hammock that supports all our organs and allows us to release waste products when needed.

The muscles need to have strength to keep the pelvic floor closed so things don’t come out when we don’t want them to, but they also need to have coordination and to be able to relax to allow things out when we need. The hammock of muscles acts a bit like a trampoline  supporting all our organs. In horse riding our pelvic floor really needs to be strong and flexible so it can do both of these jobs while put under quite a lot of stress and pressure. It’s no surprise then that some women are totally put off riding if they’re having trouble with their pelvic floor.

Pregnancy, postpartum and menopause are big stressors for your pelvic health. If you have ridden during pregnancy your pelvic floor has really had to do some work! Stress incontinence is extremely common after birth but its very treatable. During birth the pelvic floor muscles can get damaged and torn, sometimes only on one side (this can contribute to a crookedness through the whole body). These deep muscles need the same help as any other muscle in your body should it get damaged. Releasing, stretching and strengthening is the answer. I know with my three births that afterwards I was just given a sheet pf paper explaining how to do Kegels and then sent on my way. This can help but often isn’t enough, the pelvic floor muscles have sometimes gone into a state of overactivity, they’ve been well stretched during birth but have spent the last 9 months desperately trying to hold everything up and in. They loose their ability to relax, contract and coordinate when needed. From a riding perspective it’s important not to jump back into the saddle as soon as possible, but to ensure your pelvic floor is starting to function how it should after giving birth. Even if you’ve had a caesarean your pelvic floor will have still had to work immensely hard for the last few months supporting the weight of the baby.

What can you do if your floor isn’t functioning how it should? Firstly I would say start a good Core Connection Program (such as the Reconnect with your Core Series) which incorporates diaphragmatic breathing techniques,  strengthening, stretching and symmetry work for all the muscles around the pelvis. If there’s no improvement, your symptoms are pretty severe or you’re struggling with prolapse you need to visit a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist – these guys are specialist in this stuff and will be able to give you the best guidance and support. As a last resort there is surgery but I would say that in a lot of cases the PT would help massively. These topics shouldn’t be taboo, there is help out there, don’t let this be a reason you can’t do what you love.