Bladder prolapse and running

July 20, 2018 2:14 AM

Asking for a family member. She is in her early seventies and a keen runner. She has just had a bladder prolapse and is very concerned that this may mean she has to stop running. She will talk to her GP but may not be able to get an appointment for a day or two. She is a slow runner (11-minute miles) and usually runs 5-7 miles three or four times a week. Is running likely to make the prolapse worse? Any other information about treatments would also be helpful. Thank you.
posted by paduasoy to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Best answer: I would highly recommend that she see a pelvic floor physiotherapist as well as her GP. I don't have experience with prolapse, but I have seen a pelvic floor physio for another issue and she was incredibly helpful. There's a solid evidence base backing it as an effective treatment. They'll be able to give her individual advice about whether running is appropriate and what she can do to avoid making things worse, and prescribe exercises to improve her symptoms.
posted by Whichty at 4:12 AM on July 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Yep specialist physio. Running can make it worse. Physio can help. Pessaries an option. Needs assessment though!
posted by chiquitita at 5:23 AM on July 20, 2018

Best answer: I can’t say enough good things about pelvic floor physiotherapists. They are experts on bladder issues that even urologists aren’t super familiar with; I can’t imagine that a GP is going to be able to give anything but the most basic guidance. Your family member should definitely ask for referral to a specialist. Best wishes to her!
posted by corey flood at 8:21 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The GP appointment should just refer you to a urogynecologist who will do an assessment and advise whether conservative treatment (pessary + physical therapy) or surgery seems like the best option given the extent of the prolapse. In the meantime, it's a good idea to avoid high impact exercises such as running, sadly.
posted by _cave at 8:53 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hi all, thanks for these answers. She wants me to pass on that she ignored them, ran, and it made the problem worse - she says she should have trusted MetaFilter.

However she has now seen a consultant who will do the operation, and says that physiotherapy would not be helpful because the weakness in the vaginal wall is tissue, not muscle, and also that in her situation running is fine until she has the operation - he said damage tends to increase slowly so any additional damage caused by running between now and the operation would be minimal. She'll need to take six weeks off running after the operation.
posted by paduasoy at 1:41 AM on August 2, 2018