The Effect of Intense Physical Training on Lower Urinary Tract Function in Female Professional Swimmers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2026.94.73835Keywords
female swimmers, lower urinary tract symptoms, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor dysfunction, elite athletes, training load, sports medicine, narrative reviewAbstract
Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are clinically important problems in female athletes, yet the swimmer-specific literature remains relatively narrow. Literature shows that urinary incontinence (UI) and other pelvic floor complaints are common in elite female sport, with prevalence varying by sport type, training load, and individual susceptibility. Swimmer-specific studies indicate that lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction occurs also in aquatic sports.
Aim: This study examines the effect of intense training on LUT function in female professional swimmers, especially urinary storage symptoms, stress UI, mixed UI, quality of life, and implications for performance.
Materials and Methods: A narrative review approach was used to synthesize data on LUT function in female swimmers and elite athletes. Published swimmer-specific studies were analyzed alongside broader research on high-performance female sport to contextualize findings, given the limited volume of swimmer-focused evidence.
Results: Evidence suggest that high-performance swimmers may experience substantial LUTS and measurable changes in pelvic floor muscle activity. Although swimming differs from high-impact sports in immediate mechanical stress on the pelvic floor, elite swimmers accumulate high training volumes, dryland conditioning, breath-control maneuvers, and pressure fluctuations that may challenge continence mechanisms. Findings also link low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and underdiagnosis of pelvic floor symptoms in female athletes to urinary outcomes.
Conclusions: UI and LUTS are relevant concerns in elite female swimmers despite the non-impact nature of swimming. The swimmer-specific evidence is scarse, particularly regarding longitudinal training-load effects, event-specific risk profiling, and intervention trials. Current evidence suggest routine symptom screening, pelvic floor assessment, and pelvic floor muscle training within athlete support programs.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Magdalena Drozd, Justyna Czechowicz, Paweł Czechowicz, Mikołaj Antkiewicz, Aleksandra Arczyńska-Antkiewicz, Zuzanna Kruczek, Julia Kociuba, Dorota Kołkowicz, Natalia Pawełczak, Agata Krawczyk, Martyna Kudła, Paulina Łobaza, Gabriela Zając, Julia Kurcińska, Szymon Kurciński, Jan Koszewski, Jakub Wilk
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