Breaking the Stigma

How do we move forward?

I have identified that urine leakage is a significant problem within the female athlete population and that it is rarely addressed or discussed. I have also identified the benefits of pelvic health PT in this population. But, why are girls still not seeking help?

This is where, we as professionals, need to bridge the gap. It is apparent that there are gaps within the healthcare system, but I think this is something we can improve on.

Education:

I encourage you to listen to this podcast by Julie Weibe on her views on educating ourselves on this topic and how influential social media can be.  More importantly, how influential false information can become praised. Know your sources and levels of education that you are viewing for your information. She discusses her personal hashtag #EducatedHope.   

#EDUCATEDHOPE AND MAKING THE PELVIC FLOOR LESS TABOO WITH JULIE WIEBE: https://themovementmaestro.com/2019/04/22/motm-110-educatedhope-and-making-the-pelvic-floor-less-taboo-with-julie-wiebe/

Healthcare professionals – educate yourself.

It is our duty to stay up on all the latest treatments in the field. Pelvic health physical therapy should be on your radar and you should have referrals to women’s health specialists. We are doing these girls a disservice by avoiding this topic.

Here is a generator of finding a specialist in your area²: https://ptl.womenshealthapta.org/ 

I am going to propose a suggestion.

Doctors – This is something that should be asked in a physical. All athletes need physicals at the beginning of every year. How difficult would it be to ask one or two questions on the matter? Or if you feel uncomfortable asking the questions, there is a questionnaire you could use. Almost all other realms of the body are covered in the physical, so this could be something to easily incorporate as well. Encourage the athletes to be as honest as possible.

The Cozean questionnaire³: https://hermanwallace.com/blog/simple-screening-questionnaire-for-pelvic-floor-dysfunction 

Athletic trainers – Be able to answer questions that these girls have. Have options to refer them to pelvic health therapists. Above all, make them feel comfortable enough to talk to you. You spend so much time with these athletes between practices and games. If they are likely to talk to anyone, it would be you guys.

Changing the attitudes around leaking during sport is when we will start to see a difference.

I once read a book by Malcom Gladwell that discussed the power of thinking without thinking. In this book, he talks about how we make associations of things at an unconscious level. What I have come to realize is that we associate urinary incontinence with the geriatric population (or pregnant population) and therefore do not discuss it. We have a stereotype of what the typical person experiencing urinary incontinence is and that stereotype is so blinding that we simply ignore others who experience it. On an unconscious level we almost internalize this thought of young female athletes experiencing urinary incontinence as forbidden to discuss.

With this, I leave you to challenge your implicit bias and start the conversation.

“We need to get to the point of where talking about the pelvic floor is as easy as talking about the knee.” Julie Weibe

 

For more information on this topic, I encourage you to explore Julie Weibe’s blog⁴:  https://www.juliewiebept.com/blog/

I would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Brook Browning for fueling this idea and helping me make this project a reality.

1.  Weibe, J., 2019. #EDUCATEDHOPE AND MAKING THE PELVIC FLOOR LESS TABOO WITH JULIE WIEBE. Maestro on the Mic.

2. Ptl.womenshealthapta.org. 2020. PT Locator. [online] Available at: <https://ptl.womenshealthapta.org/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

3. Cozean, N., 2020. Simple Screening Questionnaire For Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. [online] Hermanwallace.com. Available at: <https://hermanwallace.com/blog/simple-screening-questionnaire-for-pelvic-floor-dysfunction> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

4. Weibe, J., 2020. [Blog] Julie Weibe PT, Available at: <https://www.juliewiebept.com/blog/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].