Hip Strength, Hip Biomechanics, and Ground Reaction Forces are Similar Between Female Recreational Runners With and Without Urinary Incontinence

Purpose: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is common among females participating in high-impact sports such as running. Differences in hip biomechanics during walking gait and hip strength have been found between females who experience SUI and continent females, but this has not been studied in runners. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in hip strength, hip biomechanics, and ground reaction forces (GRFs) during running between female runners with and without SUI during running. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study of 45 participants ( n = 14 with SUI; n = 31 without SUI). After a warm-up period, participants ran on an instrumented treadmill for 5 minutes at a self-selected 5 K race pace. Hip adduction excursion, hip abduction moment, and peak vertical and horizontal GRF during stance were calculated. Isokinetic and isometric hip abduction strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. MANOVA analyses were used to determine any differences in hip abduction strength, hip biomechanics, and peak GRFs between female runners with and without SUI. Results: There were no significant differences in hip abduction strength ( P = .292), hip biomechanics ( P = .621), or peak GRFs ( P = .935) during running between those with and without SUI. Discussion: Continent and incontinent female runners demonstrate similar hip strength, hip biomechanics, and GRFs during running. These findings support the importance of an individualized approach beyond assessing hip strength and biomechanics to evaluating and treating patients with SUI during running.