Now that it’s April, spring is in full swing. The days are longer, the flowers are blooming, and the trees are coming back to life. It’s a beautiful time of year.
But there’s also a less-talked-about side of spring.
At our pelvic health clinic in San Rafael, we see a noticeable increase in calls this time of year from people experiencing urinary leakage. And it’s not a coincidence.
So what’s going on?
During cold and allergy season, many people are coughing, sneezing, and dealing with upper respiratory symptoms. These actions create repeated forceful exhalations, which place significant demand on your pelvic floor and core system. If that system isn’t well-trained or well-coordinated, it can lead to urinary leakage.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
If you occasionally need to lift a 40-pound box, you want to train your body so it can comfortably lift 50 pounds. That way, when you go to lift 40, it feels manageable.
But if you’ve only ever trained with 15-pound weights, that 40-pound lift becomes a problem—and you might even get hurt.
This is exactly how we approach pelvic floor therapy in Marin County.
Coughing and sneezing aren’t low-level activities. On a scale of 1 to 20, they’re closer to a 16 out of 20 challenge for your core system. And during allergy season, you’re not just doing it once—you’re doing it repeatedly.
That means your body needs:
- Strength
- Coordination
- Endurance
Unfortunately, many traditional approaches to pelvic floor therapy fall short in a few key ways.
- You can’t just “Kegel your way out of it.”
Kegels are often the go-to advice, but they’re not always appropriate. Some people actually have a tight or overactive pelvic floor, and adding more contraction can make things worse. Others may struggle with timing and coordination rather than strength. This is why a proper pelvic health assessment is essential. - You might be training in the wrong position.
Think about when leakage typically happens—during coughing or sneezing, you’re usually standing or upright. But many exercises are done lying on your back. If you’re not training your pelvic floor in functional positions, your body may not be prepared when it matters most. - You’re not training at the right intensity.
Going back to the “lifting the box” analogy, your system needs to be challenged at—or slightly above—the level it experiences in real life. If your exercises are too easy, they won’t translate when your body is under stress.
So what’s the solution?
At Pelvic Path, we focus on progressively loading the system, including the exhalation component that’s so critical during coughing and sneezing.
We do this by creating resistance during exhalation. This can start with something as simple as a straw and progress to tools like blowers and even balloons. These exercises teach your body how to:
- Generate a strong, controlled exhalation
- Engage the core and pelvic floor correctly
- Avoid excessive downward pressure that leads to leakage
This type of training is part of what we call Phase 3, which is often the missing link in traditional rehab programs and a key part of effective urinary leakage solutions.
The goal isn’t just to strengthen—it’s to prepare your body for real-life demands.
If you’ve noticed increased urinary leakage during allergy season, you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck with it.
With the right pelvic health support in San Rafael and across Marin County, you can build the strength, coordination, and resilience needed to handle these seasonal challenges so you can fully enjoy everything spring has to offer.
If this resonates with you, know that we specialize in pelvic floor therapy in Marin County. We’ve helped many people overcome urinary leakage and feel confident again.
Feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.
