Return to Running Post Pregnancy

After pregnancy…

The hormone relaxin can stay in your body for up to 4-6 months postnatally, leaving your ligaments and pelvic floor muscles more vulnerable to injury in the postnatal period. You will have reduced core stability and mechanical control as your abdominal muscles have naturally stretched during pregnancy and require time and care to recover, particularly following a caesarean section. For these reasons, it is important to increase your exercise intensity slowly, and always wear appropriate and supportive clothing and footwear. There is also the risk of incontinence/prolapse if you resume strenuous exercise too soon after your baby has been born and your pelvic floor muscles haven’t fully recovered.

The 2019 Returning to Running Postnatal Guidelines recommend that you should be able to achieve the following exercises without pain, heaviness, dragging or incontinence before starting running.

• Walking for 30 minutes

• Single leg balance 10 seconds

• Single leg squat 10 repetitions on each side

• Jog on the spot for 1 minute

• Forward bounds 10 repetitions

• Hop in place 10 repetitions on each leg

• Single leg ‘running man’: opposite arm and hip flexion/extension (bent knee) 10 repetitions on each side

Additionally, you should be able to complete 20 full repetitions of each of the following strength exercises:

• Single-leg calf raise

• Single-leg bridge

• Single-leg sit to stand

• Side-lying abduction

Post-natal women can hugely benefit from an individualised assessment and guided return to activity rehabilitation for the prevention and management of pain, pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence. No two pregnancies and no two births are the same and it is important to understand that your recovery journey is completely individual to you. Always listen to your body and understand that you may not be ready to return to running just yet. Book in with one of our Physiotherapists to help you on your recovery journey.