Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) encompasses the set of clinical alterations characterised by a loss of muscular control or an incoordination in the activity of the muscles that make up this region. In the female population, the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) is between 24% and 45%, making it the most common PFD. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs when there is an increase in intra- abdominal pressure, such as when coughing, sneezing or lifting heavy objects, causing involuntary urine leakage. It is common for elite gymnasts to experience an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, exacerbating the onset of SUI.
25-year-old patient who started practising rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 9. In the anamnesis, the patient reported that for about 8 years she had been experiencing SUI during training and competitions. The patient refers that factors such as fatigue or stressful situations influence her presentation.
The main objective of this clinical case is the improvement of UI symptomatology during sports practice, through the use of the proprioceptive trunk.
The physiotherapy intervention was carried out over six weeks with a frequency of three sessions per week and was structured under an active, guided treatment approach. The sessions lasted approximately 30 minutes. In the first phase of the intervention the aim was to improve the patient's proprioception and pelvic floor activation; in the second phase, the aim was to strengthen the core musculature and the scapulohumeral region, while ensuring the maintenance of proper body posture; finally, the final phase consisted of the application of the intervention to functionality within the sporting context.
In this patient with SUI, an improvement has been observed in the symptomatology that she presented at the beginning of the intervention, achieving significant advances both at an objective level, with the self-reported questionnaires and the voiding diary, and at a subjective level in her sensations when practising sport.
Archivos espanoles de urologia. 2026 Apr [Epub]
Gabriela Martínez-Roig, Irene Sandoval-Hernández, Marta María Córdoba-Peláez, Anna Rutkowska, Borja Rodríguez-Sanjuán, Guadalupe Molina-Torres
Cofrentes Thermal Spa, Cofrentes, 46625 Valencia, Spain., Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Campus of Melilla, University of Granada, 52005 Melilla, Spain., Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain., Department of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland.