Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor
Science to Practice
- 1st Edition - April 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editor: Gráinne M. Donnelly
- Language: English
Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor: Science to Practice shines a spotlight on a critical but often overlooked aspect of female athlete health: the pelvic floor. Bringing togeth… Read more
Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor: Science to Practice shines a spotlight on a critical but often overlooked aspect of female athlete health: the pelvic floor. Bringing together the expertise of clinicians and researchers, the book highlights persistent gaps in knowledge and practice, offering valuable direction for future research. It educates professionals on how to effectively screen, treat, and rehabilitate athletes, emphasizing that pelvic floor dysfunction can profoundly impact engagement, athletic performance, and overall well-being. By addressing this traditionally taboo subject, the authors provide evidence-based insights that call for the pelvic floor to be considered as essential in sports medicine.
Sections discuss practical strategies for supporting athletes, managing or alleviating symptoms, and ensuring a safe return to sport, all while prioritizing long-term pelvic health. This is an indispensable resource for anyone working with female athletes, blending science and clinical experience to advance care in this vital area.
Sections discuss practical strategies for supporting athletes, managing or alleviating symptoms, and ensuring a safe return to sport, all while prioritizing long-term pelvic health. This is an indispensable resource for anyone working with female athletes, blending science and clinical experience to advance care in this vital area.
- Provides an overview of the pelvic floor muscles, anatomy, and function
- Covers the often overlooked pelvic floor dysfunction
- Includes case examples across various sports
Researchers, Coaches, Physiotherapists and Physicians in Sports Medicine
1. Background - why pelvic floor function is sports medicine
2. The Female Pelvic Floor - overview of anatomy and function
3. Evolution of the Female Pelvic Floor
4. What can go wrong - Pelvic Floor Disorders / Dysfunction
5. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Screening and Athlete Profiling
6. Female Athlete Domains and Surveillance
7. Load Tolerance and the Pelvic Floor
8. High Impact and the Pelvic Floor
9. Resistance Training and the Pelvic Floor
10 Pelvic Floor Strength and Conditioning - what is the evidence supporting it and are the principles the same?
11. Adjuncts to Pelvic Floor Function
12. Beyond the Pelvic Floor - multidisciplinary whole-systems considerations within sports medicine
13. Transitions across the Athlete Lifespan
14. Return to Sport following sypmtoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
15. From Rehabilitation to Return to Performance
16. Athletes Voices - the perception and impact of pelvic floor muscle training and symptoms on sport engagement and performance
17. Multidisciplinary Sports Medicine Team Perspectives
18. Case Examples
19. Policy and Sports Organization Guidance
20. Clinical Reasoning for Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor
2. The Female Pelvic Floor - overview of anatomy and function
3. Evolution of the Female Pelvic Floor
4. What can go wrong - Pelvic Floor Disorders / Dysfunction
5. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Screening and Athlete Profiling
6. Female Athlete Domains and Surveillance
7. Load Tolerance and the Pelvic Floor
8. High Impact and the Pelvic Floor
9. Resistance Training and the Pelvic Floor
10 Pelvic Floor Strength and Conditioning - what is the evidence supporting it and are the principles the same?
11. Adjuncts to Pelvic Floor Function
12. Beyond the Pelvic Floor - multidisciplinary whole-systems considerations within sports medicine
13. Transitions across the Athlete Lifespan
14. Return to Sport following sypmtoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
15. From Rehabilitation to Return to Performance
16. Athletes Voices - the perception and impact of pelvic floor muscle training and symptoms on sport engagement and performance
17. Multidisciplinary Sports Medicine Team Perspectives
18. Case Examples
19. Policy and Sports Organization Guidance
20. Clinical Reasoning for Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: April 1, 2026
- Language: English
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Gráinne M. Donnelly
Gráinne Donnelly is an Advanced Physiotherapist specialising in pelvic health. She provides pelvic health clinics privately, educates health and fitness professionals about pelvic health and is currently developing her interest and experience in the world of research and academia. She has recently published several papers on postpartum running and diastasis rectus abdominis. Her specialist interests are postpartum exercise, diastasis rectus abdominis and ultrasound imaging in pelvic health.
Affiliations and expertise
Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK