How to Safely Return to Running Postpartum
If you’re a Jersey Shore local, it’s probably safe to assume you love running and that’s why you’re here. May you loved before your baby, or if you’re new to running postpartum, you’re probably wondering how to know when it’s safe to lace up your shoes and hit the pavement again—without risking injury or dealing with pelvic floor (or other) issues. In this post, I’m going to talk about why running can be tough on your pelvic floor, what to avoid when returning to running, and my go-to method for getting back into running safely. I’ll also cover the foundational work you need to do before starting, share some exercises to build strength, and walk you through a few tests and assessments I recommend before you start running again. If running is something you’ve been missing or you’re just starting out postpartum, you’ll definitely want to save this one!
What is it a big deal when returning to running postpartum?
Well, to break it down simply, it’s because running is actually a very high impact and complex activity!
Because of the level of impact running has on our bodies, if I can advise you on ONE thing with returning to running postpartum, it would be to NOT just “jump back into it” or go out and try to do a 3 mile run on your first attempt postpartum. Running postpartum should be a slow integration alongside pelvic floor/core rehab so you don’t have issues later on down the road.
I know what you’re thinking…”But I ran when I was pregnant so that I could get back into it quicker once postpartum!”. Unfortunately, my word of advise goes for even those who did run during their pregnancy! So let’s get to it! What is it about running that warrants such caution and attention in order to return to it after having a baby?
Let’s talk about the research…
According to a study by Selman et al., high impact activities (like running) put a significantly increased demand on the pelvic floor muscles. This is because of the sudden rise in intra-abdominal pressure as well as the force that occurs through the body when each foot touches the ground (which is 1.6-2.5x the force of your bodyweight). Our pelvic floor would actually have to quickly contract followed by then quickly relaxing over and over again throughout the entire act of running because of the high demand running places on the pelvic floor. And this would need to happen on a reactive or sub-conscious level…meaning you aren’t actively contracting and relaxing your floor, but instead your body is just automatically doing this in response to the high demand and force placed on it.
Now, if you’ve had a baby—whether vaginally or by C-section—your pelvic floor and core muscles may have experienced some trauma. After childbirth, the natural, automatic response your body had before may not be as effective anymore. If you’re unable to consciously contract and relax your pelvic floor, it’s likely that your body won’t be able to do it subconsciously either.
With this in mind, it’s easy to see how jumping right back into running postpartum without any preparation can lead to issues like incontinence, pelvic heaviness, or even prolapse. This doesn’t mean running is off the table for you, but it does mean that if you’re aiming to return to running postpartum, you’ll need to work on pelvic floor and core rehabilitation first. By rebuilding your pelvic floor’s automatic contraction and relaxation response, you’ll help avoid pelvic floor dysfunction or injury down the road.
How to Create a Solid Foundation
To return to running postpartum, you need to build a solid foundation. This means reteaching your pelvic floor how to contract and relax on demand. At first, you'll need to actively connect your mind to your pelvic floor, practicing full contractions and relaxations.
It's not just about doing kegels. Your pelvic floor must function while your body moves in different directions, like forward, sideways, and rotationally. Running requires strength and endurance in all of these planes.
Running is complex, demanding strength, endurance, and the ability to handle impact. Your pelvic floor needs to support these three areas: impact tolerance, stamina, and strength to contract/relax repetitively.
But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take it back a step or two and think about the very first thing we should do when we start working on the foundational level of rehabilitating our core and pelvic floor to prep for returning to running, which is….BREATHING.
Yep, again, something that should be so automatic and without much thought, we really need to leverage and utilize to help us create that solid foundation between our breathing and our pelvic floor/core. So let’s go over each phase necessary to safely return to running postpartum.
Phase 1: Reconnecting with Our Breath
Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep belly breathing, plays a key role in pelvic floor recovery. When you breathe deeply, your diaphragm moves downward, creating space for your lungs to expand. This movement helps to activate and gently massage your pelvic floor, promoting relaxation and improving blood flow to the area. By coordinating your breath with pelvic floor engagement, diaphragmatic breathing also helps retrain your body to effectively contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles. This technique not only aids in pelvic floor recovery but also strengthens the connection between your core and pelvic floor, laying a solid foundation for activities like running.
Phase 2: Progress Into Functional Movements
Once we have our breath work down and we have learned how to connect our breath to our core and pelvic floor in various positions, now we need to add it into functional movements.
Adding in functional movements can again be a very progressive activity, starting off with a low-load, low intensity movement and then progressing in load and intensity over the course of several weeks.
My favorite exercises for progressing back in to running include
1. Supine marches
2. Single leg banded supermans
3. Lateral lunges
4. Palloff press
5. Side plank variations
6. Forward jump lunges
Phase 3: Assessments & Tests
We’ve reconnected our breath to our core and pelvic floor, we’ve developed our strength and progressed in all plane of movement, now it’s time to perform some assessments and tests to see if we are truly ready to hit the pavement!
3 assessments to do prior to returning to running:
Pelvic floor assessment
Strength assessment
Impact test
These are essentially a set of exercises that test the bodies strength and endurance to withstand the impacts of running with decreased risk of injury, incontinence or prolapse. Obviously having a test or assessment performed is a really great way to know for sure if you are ready to return to running!
Phase 4: A Gradual Return to Running
If you have completed and “passed” all three phases, now it’s time for the fun part…RUNNING! But still, please, do not recommend going out for a 3 mile run on your first attempt (I know it’s tempting). Instead we want to slowly and gradually progress in the same way we slowly and gradually progress through all the other phases. We can do this by following the 1:2 ratio, meaning 1:2 ratio of walking to running and then building up as the weeks go on.
Phase 5: Evaluating Your Post-Run Symptoms
Once the run is over, the one thing you don’t want to forget to do is assess how you are feeling and if you have any symptoms. You want to make sure you evaluate and assess yourself immediately after the run as well as 24-48 hours later to ensure you aren’t experiencing any delayed symptoms.
Symptoms like:
Pelvic heaviness
Increased incontinence (urinary or fecal)
Hip pain
Back pain
Pelvic pain
Having any of these symptoms during or after your run would likely mean that whatever type of run you did was a little too much for where you are currently at and would require you take more time to build up to that intensity of a run.
If you tried all of these things and you are experiencing symptoms or just don’t know where to start, call or text me at 732-592-9064 or click the button below for a consultation or to book a private session.
