Dr. Dana
For women who leak when they walk
You love a long walk, but you plan it around the toilets. Here is why steps can bring leaks, and how to walk the long way home again.
Walk the long way home.
Effort or urge?
Among US women who leak, 37.5% have stress leaks only, 22% have urge leaks only and 31.3% have both.[1] A walk can bring either one.
- With your steps: a few drops, no warning, more on hills and stairs. That points to effort, also called stress leaks.
- After a sudden urge: a strong need to go comes first, then the leak. It often hits near home. That points to urge leaks.
Not sure which one sounds like you? The leak type quiz asks 3 questions shaped like a short test from a 2006 study.[3]
Why steps can push urine out
Each step sends a small jolt down through your body. Your pelvic floor catches it, step after step, under your bladder.
A cough asks for one hard squeeze. A walk asks for something else: a light, steady support that lasts. When your pelvic floor tires before the walk ends, the drops come late, often on the way back.
What helps
- Build a steady hold. Slow holds lying down first, then sitting, then standing. Then keep a light lift while you walk. Guidelines list at least 3 months of pelvic floor training as the first step for stress leaks.[2]
- Lift a little more on stairs and curbs. A short squeeze just before a step down helps, like a squeeze before a sneeze.
- If urges lead, train your bladder. For urge or mixed leaks, guidelines list bladder training for at least 6 weeks as a first step.[2] Your doctor can help you start.
- Keep walking. Walking is good for your body. Pick routes you enjoy while your hold gets stronger.
Try it today
Stand tall. Lift your pelvic floor lightly, as if you hold in gas. Keep that light lift and walk 10 steps, breathing normally. Let go and walk 10 steps at rest. Do it 5 times.
Walk the long way home.
The Bladder leaks class takes your hold from lying down to standing, stairs and real life in 6 weeks.
- A class by a urologist
- 5 to 10 minutes a day
- Week 1 is open to everyone
Quick answers
Why do I leak urine when I walk?
Each step sends a small jolt of pressure onto your bladder. Over a walk, those small pushes add up. If your pelvic floor tires, a few drops get out. For some women, the walk brings a sudden urge instead.
Is leaking when walking stress or urge incontinence?
It can be either. Leaks that come with your steps, with no warning, point to stress leaks. Leaks after a sudden, strong need to go point to urge leaks. Many women have both, and a doctor can tell.
How do I stop leaking when I walk?
Train a light, steady hold: slow holds lying down, then standing, then while you walk. Lift a little more on stairs and curbs. If urges lead, bladder habits help, and guidelines list bladder training as a first step.
Should I walk less?
Keep walking. Train your pelvic floor and pick routes you enjoy while it gets stronger. See a doctor if leaks are heavy, constant or come with pain.
Sources
- Patel UJ, Godecker AL, Giles DL, Brown HW. Updated prevalence of urinary incontinence in women: 2015-2018 national population-based survey data. Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg, 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- NICE guideline NG123. Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management, 2019. nice.org.uk
- Brown JS, et al. The sensitivity and specificity of a simple test to distinguish between urge and stress urinary incontinence (the 3 Incontinence Questions). Annals of Internal Medicine, 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
