Ep. 93: Pelvic Floor Health and Athletic Performance in Female Athletes with Dr. Lisa VanWiel

Ep. 93: Pelvic Floor Health and Athletic Performance in Female Athletes with Dr. Lisa VanWiel

From Clinically Pressed Podcast by Clinically Pressed

April 9, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of pelvic floor health in female athletes and its impact on performance and quality of life.

Pelvic floor health is an often overlooked, but critically important aspect of female athlete health and performance. Despite increasing awareness, many athletes, coaches, and practitioners remain unaware of how common pelvic floor dysfunction is among female athletes and how significantly it can impact both performance and quality of life. In this episode of Clinically Pressed, Andrew Jagim sits down with Dr. Lisa VanWiel (University of Wisconsin–La Crosse) to discuss pelvic floor health in female athletes, with a particular focus on urinary incontinence, one of the most common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. Research suggests that 60–70% of female athletes experience some degree of urinary incontinence, particularly in sports that involve running, jumping, and high-impact movements. Despite its high prevalence, many athletes are reluctant to discuss these issues or may assume it is simply a normal consequence of sport participation.Dr. VanWiel helps break down why pelvic floor health matters for athletes, how dysfunction can influence performance and injury risk, and what athletes and practitioners should be aware of when identifying potential issues.Topics discussed in…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Jagim

Guest: Dr. Lisa VanWiel

Topics covered

  • pelvic floor health
  • female athletes
  • urinary incontinence
  • athletic performance
  • core stability
  • pelvic floor dysfunction

Keywords

  • pelvic floor health
  • female athletes
  • urinary incontinence
  • athletic performance
  • core stability
  • dysfunction
  • injury risk

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Wisconsin–La Crosse

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