An article once published in Dailymail described a story of a 50-year-old patient:
The patient, who was in her fifties, seemed more bewildered than ashamed. She’d started to have trouble holding it together when she needed to pee in the last several months. Worse, she’d started to ‘leak’ a little, almost unconsciously. She hadn’t experienced anything like this since the birth of her 2 kids, who were now in their teenage years.
She’d also done her pelvic-floor exercises on a regular basis, which help women regain and maintain bladder control after pregnancy. ‘It makes no sense – I can’t figure out why it’s happening now,’ she bemoaned, adding that several of her acquaintances had been affected even more severely.
It didn’t take long to figure out what was causing the problem. Her condition was at its most severe when she exercised, which was almost always one thing: spinning. These rigorous indoor cycling programs, which normally involve loud music and a front-row instructor strongly encouraging the group, have a devoted following and have been around for years.
Peloton, a stationary bike with a 22-inch flatscreen mounted to the handlebars, allows you to take virtual spinning courses at any time from the comfort of your own home. Despite the exorbitant pricing – ranging from £1,300 to £1,800 – they sold like hotcakes during the lockdown, though demand appears to have subsided now that more of us are returning to the gym.
My patient now did both, which meant she was in the saddle at least four times a week for a high-intensity workout.’If I had more time, I’d do it more,’ she said. ‘I really like it.’ She’d also purchased a genuine bike so that she could cycle to school and to the store with the kids. I inquired if she had noticed any numbness or discomfort ‘down there.’ ‘Yes, but I thought being saddle-sore was typical,’ she explained. So imagine her chagrin when I told her that it wasn’t normal and that her newfound passion could be leading to her incontinence.
Sources: Dailymail