Summer is here and brings sunny skies, holiday opportunities, swimming pool time … and for many people, pelvic floor and back pain. What is the connection here? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out.
How much water should I drink?
Generalized guidelines for hydration are difficult because so many factors can influence how much liquid intake you need, including:
- Level of physical activity
- Weather/room temperature
- Sweat
- Kidney function/kidney stones
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding/breastfeeding
- Health problems such as diabetes, heart problems and vascular problems
The general guideline of “8 cups per day” does not work for everyone – you may need more or less, depending on your personal factors! As a general rule you have to drink enough water to keep your urine light yellow to erase and pee with 7-11x/day. If you sweat a lot, it is important that you also consume electrolytes with your liquids, so that you supplement the minerals that you lose together with the water. If you get headache, muscle cramps or your urine is darker yellow or brown, these are all drawing that you may have dried out.
Do you have a hard time drinking enough water? Try the following hydration tips:
- Cook food with a lot of liquid content, such as soups and stews
- Eat fresh fruit and vegetables that naturally hydrate
- Add a small flavored electrolyte mix, or even a pinch of salt and spray of lemon juice to your water to improve the taste and hydration capacity. If you have an overactive bladder, try a less sour add -in, such as cucumber slices
- Make your own iced tea and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge. If you have bladder problems, stay with a herbal tea instead of a caffeinated
Is dehydration connected to back pain?
Muscle cramps from dehydration can occur more in the summer, both because of the summer heat and a greater tendency to be physically active. It is also easy to be dried out without realizing it in a swimming pool or hot tub where you can’t feel sweating.
There is another proposed connection between back pain and dehydration, namely that when the intervertebral disks (the cartilage discs between the bones of your spine that act as shock absorbers) are more dried out, they are more susceptible to injury. Dehydration is also a risk factor for chronic Uti’s that can lead to bladder and kidney infections. If you experience intense low back pain, together with burning with urination, seek medical help as soon as possible.
Is back pain connected to pelvic floor problems?
Researchers have long noticed a connection between chronic back pain and pelvic floor disorders. Original physiotherapists often see this in the clinic: when a patient enters with pelvic floor problems, we ask about back pain and vice versa. Usually the patient replies: “How did you know that?”
What is the connection?
The rear muscles, core muscles and pelvic floor muscles all work together to stabilize the spine and trunk. Often if there is dysfunction in one part of this system, this also influences the other areas. For example, if a person has weak abdominal muscles, it may mean that he tends to clamp their pelvic floor and back muscles when they stand or walk for a long time, leading to pain. If someone is consistently or sits with poor posture, it will also affect all those stabilizing systems.
Is pelvic pain connected to dehydration?
The most important connection between pelvic pain and dehydrations via the bladder. If the bladder is chronically irritated, it can often spasm and contribute to urinary urgency. Because of this you can often give the feeling that you have to run to the toilet, just to discover that there was hardly any urine to be too invalid. Food and drinks that irritate the bladder will be more concentrated in the urine if you have dried out, which deteriorate these problems.
Common bladder -irritating substances:
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- carbonated drinks
- Spicy food
- Acid/acid food
- Artificial colors/sweeteners
Drinking too much water can also lead to more overactivity of bladder, so it is important to find the right balance between these two ends of the spectrum. The tension in the pelvic floor is often present for people with bladder irritation, which can lead to pelvic pain, constipation and other issues. Do you want more tips about reducing pelvic floor voltage? Read more here. Good hydration is also important to keep stools good consistency for bowel movements, and if you are chronically constipated, this can be his own cause of pain in the pelvis, abdomen and lower back!
What is the connection between dehydration and urine incontinence?
If you leak pee, it is a common tactic to reduce your liquid intake, so that you don’t have that much pee in your bladder to leak out. Although this tactics can be effective to a certain extent, it is important not to be dried out while he tries to prevent leaks. There are many other ways to control urine leakage that have no other adverse effects on your health! However, it may be wise to change when and how you drink liquids. Instead of puffing a lot of water at the same time in the morning, consider slowing all day long, so that the bladder does not fill too quickly, making you more vulnerable to leakage.
If you have a lot of urgency with your incontinence, you can benefit from reducing irritating substances of bladder in your diet, as stated above. That does not mean that you have to avoid all these problems immediately, but it can help you to be strategic about what and how much you have, and connects the points between your symptoms and your greatest triggers. Drinking a little extra water with these annoying substances can help them dilute in your bladder and help them move your system faster. Physiotherapy of pelvic floor is also a very effective way to treat urine incontinence. Book a visit With one of the physiotherapists from Origin now to get personalized recommendations!
Don’t wait to get help!
Both back pain and pelvic floor problems can best be treated in the beginning, and both can influence the quality of life quite negatively, so it is important to seek help as quickly as possible if you encounter problems! Book your first appointment with a physiotherapist in just a few minutes here. Don’t let the pain stand in the way! Even if you have been experiencing symptoms for a long time, it is never too late to get help.
Sources quoted
M. Daudon et al. “Impact of liquid intake on the prevention of urine states: a brief overview.” Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension22 (2013): S1 -S10. https://doi.org/10.1097/mnh.0b013e328360a268.
Faizan-Ul-Haq et al. “Characteristics of back pain in young adults and their relationship with dehydration: a cross-section test.” F1000RESEARCH (2020). https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000Research.22298.1.
Gulhan Yilmaz Gokmen et al. “Cause of non-specific low back pain in women: pelvic floor weakness.” International Urogynecology Journal34 (2023): 2317 – 2323. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00192-023-05606-1.
Youngkyun Kim et al. “Effectiveness of liquid and caffeine modifications on symptoms in adults with an overactive bladder: a systematic review.” International Neurourology Journal27 (2023): 23 – 35. https://doi.org/10.5213/inj.2346014.007.
Shellee L. Ogawa et al. “Is it safe to reduce the water intake in the overactive bladder population? A systematic review.” The Journal of Urology200 (2018): 375–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2018.02.3089.
P. Pollintine et al. “Discogenic origin of spinal instability.” Backbone30 (2005): 2621-2630. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brsrs00188203.71182.c0.
K. Vincent et al. “An update on the management of chronic pelvic pain in women.” Anesthesia76 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15421.
Christina M Walsh et al. “Immediate effects of exercise and behavioral interventions for dysfunction of pelvic floor and lumbopelvian pain.” Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy (2020). https://doi.org/10.1097/JWH.0000000000000165.
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