Send us Fan Mail

Same run. Same treadmill. Same impact. So why do some women leak and others don’t?

That’s the question Natália Cardoso Campos, PT, MSc, couldn’t let go of. She’s a physio and PhD researcher from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil, here in the US for ten months at UMass Motor Control Lab, Amherst on a Fulbright Scholarship under the supervision of Dr. Richard Van Emmerick to analyze new data.

Her Master's study put 32 female runners on a treadmill with force plates built in and had them run for 30 minutes. Half of them leak and half did not.

The runners who leaked had pelvic floors just as strong as the ones who didn’t. The difference showed up further down the chain, in how their ankles and hips handled impact.

(We recorded this right before we finally got to meet in person at ICS 2026 in Maastricht!)

We talked about:

🔹 How a biomechanics lab full of male runners led her to study women who leak
🔹 What “high impact” even means when everyone is doing the exact same run
🔹 Less energy absorbed at the ankle, more at the hip. What that might mean for the pelvis
🔹 Do women who leak hit the ground harder? (Nope.)
🔹 Equifinality: why your leak and my leak can have totally different recipes
🔹 What you can and CAN’T take into the clinic from one study
🔹 What her PhD is chasing next

If you’ve been told your pelvic floor is strong and you’re still leaking on your runs, this one is for you. And if you’re a PT treating runners, Natália put it best: “We need to stop treating symptoms and start treating women.”

📄 Campos NC et al. Inefficient impact absorption and reduced shock attenuation in female runners with stress urinary incontinence. Journal of Biomechanics, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.112753
👋 Find Natália: Instagram @nataliacardosofisio · ResearchGate

This episode is education, not medical advice.

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

What do you do when there’s no evidence to build evidence-based practice?

Dr. Chris Edwards has an answer: “We have conversations.”

Chris, PhD, clinical exercise physiologist and researcher, works with tactical athletes: military, police, fire and paramedic teams. She once sold her company and her house, packed her car with her dog, and drove across Canada to do this work. Her PhD asked a question almost nobody was asking: does having a baby change injury risk for women whose job is to carry heavy things, fast, under pressure?

Spoiler alert, in her words: it does.

In this episode we get into:
🔹 How patterns she saw in veterans’ movement sent her across the country
🔹 What her research found about childbirth and repetitive strain injuries
🔹 Why telling your chain of command you’re pregnant still feels risky for a lot of servicewomen
🔹 What return to duty looks like after a baby, and who gets to decide
🔹 Leakage, prolapse and the pelvic floor demands of rucks, fitness tests and parachute jumps
🔹 Why a trauma-informed approach matters with this population
🔹 Where her research goes next, including menopause

Whether you wear a uniform, carry a toddler, or treat the women who do both, this one’s for you.

Find Chris: Instagram @drchrismedwards | drchrismedwards.com

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

Brand new PT. Skilled nursing. Asking her patients what kind of exercise they enjoy. Women there for heart disease, osteoporosis, a broken hip.

And over and over, the same answer. They hadn't exercised since they had a baby.

That's where Dr. Lisa VanWiel's research started. She's a pelvic health PT and researcher at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, and her work links leaking to a lot more than your bladder. Mental health. How women see themselves. Even heart health.

Not to scare you. Because if leaking is a signal, it's also a chance to get in early.

What we get into:
🔹 Why Lisa sees leaking as a signal about the whole body, not just the pelvic floor
🔹 What her research found about leaking, postpartum mental health, and how women see themselves
🔹 Whether every mom actually needs pelvic floor PT (my answer might surprise you)
🔹 Why nobody needs permission to move their own body
🔹 20,000 medical records and a surprising link between leaking and heart health
🔹 Association vs causation, in plain English

If you've ever wondered whether leaking means you should stop moving, press play. Then tell me: did anyone talk to you about your pelvic floor before you had your baby?

Find Lisa on Instagram at @empower_lab.

This episode is education, not individualized medical advice. Talk with your own provider or pelvic floor PT about your situation.

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌