Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Rock Climbing: Why 91.5% of Vulva Owners Are Reporting Symptoms On and Off the Wall
Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Rock Climbing: Why 91.5% of Vulva Owners Are Reporting Symptoms On and Off the Wall
Did you know that 91.5% of vulva owners who rock climb report symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB)?
If you’ve ever had that sudden “gotta go!” feeling mid-climb—or found yourself planning your entire bouldering session around bathroom access—you’re definitely not alone.
But what many climbers don’t realize is that your pelvic floor might be playing a role in all of this.
💧 What Is Overactive Bladder (OAB)?
OAB is a condition marked by:
Urinary urgency (that sudden, strong urge to go)
Frequency (going way more than normal)
Occasional leakage
For climbers, symptoms might show up on the wall—like during high steps, heel hooks, or difficult weight transfers when you're holding your breath.
But they can also show up off the wall—waking up at night to pee, always needing to know where the bathroom is, or feeling like your bladder never fully empties.
🧗♀️ Why Does This Happen to Climbers?
Climbing requires serious core strength and stability. With that often comes:
Increased intra-abdominal pressure
Breath-holding (hello, crux moves)
And a ton of tension through the hips and pelvic floor
These patterns can:
✔️ Overwork your pelvic floor, especially if it’s already tight or not coordinating well with your breath
✔️ Disrupt bladder signaling, making urgency more frequent
✔️ Make it harder to manage pressure during dynamic moves like dynos or powerful heel hooks
🧠 So What Can You Do?
This is where pelvic floor physical therapy comes in. A skilled PT can help you:
Assess whether your pelvic floor is actually overactive (tight, tense, and often weak—not strong!)
Restore coordination between your breath, core, and pelvic floor so your body moves more efficiently under pressure
Guide you through bladder retraining and urgency control so you’re not distracted mid-send or stuck running to the bathroom between climbs
✨ The Takeaway
Overactive bladder isn’t just something you have to “deal with.”
When you understand how the pelvic floor fits into your movement system—and train it just like you train the rest of your body—you can climb longer, harder, and with way less stress.
Altshuler PC, Scheid JL, King CR, et al. Scaling the heights: rates of pelvic floor dysfunction in female rock-climbing enthusiasts. Wilderness Environ Med. Published online November 25, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.wem.2024.10.004
Climb Stronger with Pelvic Floor Support
At Renew Health in East Longmeadow, MA, we help rock climbers and active athletes overcome pelvic floor symptoms—like leaking on the wall, pressure during high steps, or core instability—by getting to the root cause.
We focus on restoring muscle balance, improving breath and movement coordination, and building strength where it counts—so you can send with confidence and feel supported on every climb.
Whether you're bouldering indoors or tackling routes outdoors, we’re here to help your body work with you, not against you.
🎯 Curious if pelvic floor therapy can support your climbing? Fill out our contact form to talk with one of our pelvic health specialists.
📋 Contact Us
📍 Renew Health – East Longmeadow, MA