RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOT FLEXIBILITY AND URINARY-INCONTINENCE IN NULLIPAROUS VARSITY ATHLETES

Objective: To explore the relationship between urinary incontinence in elite nulliparous athletes and force absorption on impact, as assesse d by foot arch flexibility. Methods: One investigator measured medial longitudinal arch height in two gait stances (neutral and maximally do rsiflexed ankle positions) in 47 female varsity athletes; representing five sports. Each athlete completed a questionnaire about urinary inc ontinence prevalence. We compared the change in arch height between th e two gait stances with the prevalence of urinary incontinence. Result s: There was a statistically significant association between decreased foot flexibility and urinary incontinence; the mean percent change in arch height was 8.94 +/- 0.08% (standard deviation) in incontinent wo men and 13.70 +/- 0.09% in continent women (P = .03). CONCLUSION: How impact forces are absorbed may be one potential etiology for stress in continence. An improved understanding of how impact forces are transmi tted to the pelvic floor could provide important information about pot ential preventive interventions for urinary incontinence and other pel vic floor disorders, such as genital prolapse.