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Urinary incontinence and physical activity practice

The urinary incontinence is defined as "every involuntary loss of urinary". It happens with women more frequently, and is mainly caused by childbirths and gestations that can injure the muscles responsible for the women continence. Indeed, it is very common women who practice physical activities and sports to present incontinence. Many of these women abandon their activities to prevent discharging urine during these practices which causes shame, embarrassment besides interference with the performance during the exercise. There is no research that argues this subject in the area of the physical education. The objective of this study consisted in a bibliographical revision about urinary incontinence, analyzing its relation with physical activities and sports for women, the impact caused by the incontinence in these practices, and in what form the physical education professional can facilitate a more comfortable and safe practices to these women. The literature data on this subject is very recent, but they are enough to evidence that the physical and sport practices of exercises demanding a lot of efforts and high impact can lead to the urinary incontinence. The women who do not abandon their activities because of this incontinence use some strategies to prevent the discharge of urine, as the use of absorbents and water restriction. The physical education professional has a basic role in the adequate orientation of exercises transforming this practice into a urinary incontinence preventive intervention among physically active women.

Urinary incontinence; Physical activities; Exercises; Sport


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