Ever limit your activity because you might leak urine?

Avoid jumping jacks at the gym?
Don’t want to take your new puppy to the park because you don’t know if you’ll leak a little or a lot?
Started wearing a pantiliner all the time, just in case?  Or maybe something even thicker?
Maybe you don’t want anyone at dinner to make you laugh.  Or cough or sneeze.
 
This is type of leaking is called stress incontinence.  And you’re in good company if it’s happened to you.
Prevalence is estimated at 15 million women in the US and nearly half of women over 50 years report some instances of stress incontinence.
 
In it’s most simplified explanation, stress incontinence is a problem of more pressure out that pressure in. 
All of the activities above increase mechanical pressure down on the bladder.  If that pressure is greater than the strength of the pelvic floor/urinary sphincters, then the urine leaks out.

Many women avoid this scenario by avoiding the activities that increase pressure down, but you can improve the ability to stop that pressure.
 
This can be done by strengthening the pelvic floor itself, the hip and core musculature supporting the pelvic floor muscles, and improving the overall coordination of the pelvic floor which can include alignment of the LE, pelvis, and spine!
 
Seeing a physical therapist is a great way to start and to find out the best strategy to solve stress incontinence.