Prevalence of pelvic floor symptoms and their association with lumbopelvic and/or hip/groin pain in professional female athletes (Australian rules football and netball).

Authors

Jessie M Cunningham, Jodie G Dakic, Matthew Whalan, Andrea B Mosler

Published in

Journal of science and medicine in sport. Sep 13, 2026. Epub Sep 13, 2026.

Abstract

To report the prevalence of pelvic floor symptoms and explore their association with lumbopelvic and/or hip/groin pain in professional female Australian rules football (Australian Football League Women's) and Super Netball players.
Observational, cross-sectional survey study.
Australian Football League Women's and Super Netball players aged ≥18 years competing professionally in Australia completed a bespoke online screening questionnaire during pre-season. Questions included: demographics, pelvic health, and self-reported musculoskeletal pain/injury history. Data were analysed descriptively, and logistic regression models assessed the association between pelvic floor symptoms and lumbopelvic and/or hip/groin pain.
A total of 71 Australian Football League Women's and 36 Super Netball players were included with the following demographics: median age of 23 years (interquartile range: 6); mean body mass index of 22 kg/m² (SD: 1.6); predominantly nulliparous (95.3%); and played professionally for a median of 4 years (interquartile range: 3). Urinary incontinence was the most prevalent pelvic floor symptom reported (42.1%). Other pelvic floor symptoms included: penetration pain (tampons/intercourse) (15%), urinary frequency (12.1%), bowel urgency (12.1%), nocturia (9.3%), bladder urgency (8.4%), and regular constipation (7.5%). Urinary incontinence was associated with hip/groin pain (odds ratio = 2.66, 95% confidence interval [1.03, 6.86], p < 0.05), but not lumbopelvic pain. No other associations were found.
Although urinary incontinence had the highest prevalence, professional Australian Football League Women's and Super Netball players experience a breadth of pelvic floor symptoms relating to bladder/bowel dysfunction and pelvic pain. Therefore, pelvic health screening for female athletes should examine a broad range of pelvic floor symptoms, beyond urinary incontinence. Our findings also suggest that in female athletes, consideration of pelvic floor function may be important in hip/groin pain assessment, management, and prevention.

PMID:
42823254
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Oct 2026.

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