Guidelines for returning to running (Part 1)
All avid runners know…
Its very difficult to feel like you’re just sitting on the side lines watching everyone else do what they want while they just sit and heal.
I was never a consistent runner but worked out all my life - most of you know I played college volleyball and love that type of movement and work - the jumping, speed, and agility work. But, running is different. It is much more repetitious and consistent than the step ups or box jumps I like to perform. Running magnifies the small weaknesses due to the amount of time and miles your body cycles through a poor movement or controlled pattern.
“Evidence-Based Recommendation: Postnatal women can benefit from individualized assessment and guided pelvic floor rehabilitation for the prevention and management of pelvic organ prolapse, the management of urinary incontinence and for improved sexual function. ”
I was able to find a very well researched set of guidelines and am going to make them more simple to follow for you - it’s not that they are difficult or hard to understand (HERE THEY ARE) but the language is for medical professionals. They talk about anything from running with a stroller, to leg strength, to pelvic floor awareness, to breathing, and overall how to determine if you are ready to start running again.
I am all for women being and staying active. I am a physical therapist after all - our goal is to keep you moving pain-free (and in my niche Leak free too). I have made some videos for you and have included their work in here for a guide for you to see the expectations.
The hard part -
Healing and strength and reconnecting takes time. It took 10 months to grow a baby and for most a matter of hours to deliver. Your body has just transformed and needs time to retap into the deep core and control-type muscles. These need to be improved for every day function and for future prevention of injury (we don’t want your back to “go out” so this is paramount).
A physical therapist can help and a women’s health physical therapist even more because we are able to look at the whole body from a different light with the training we have and assess back, breathing, abdomen, and pelvic floor - or collectively your core.
Enjoy!