Running After Baby - How to Return to Running
A few months ago I was able to attend the Sports Medicine Symposium and got the chance to learn a lot on several topics with the latest research included. One of those topics was regarding the return to running after baby and the injuries that are occurring within the 2 year period after giving birth. For many active women, they want to return to what they were doing prior to birth for exercise and there have been a higher rate of injuries due to that. Today I want to focus on returning to running after baby for all the new moms out there looking to be more active again.
Obviously there are A LOT of changes that occur within the body from having a baby regardless of how you give birth. Muscles get weak and overstretched, the tissues and ligaments become lax and the pelvis and low back change shape essentially. With the general population of runners, the largest percentage of injuries are related to knee pain (43%), but in postpartum women running after baby, 36% have pelvic/hip pain and 20% have low back pain. Only 9% of women that are postpartum have knee pain injuries with running. Research has shown there to be a shift in injuries in the postpartum population, even years after giving birth.
Why is there a shift in injury with running after baby? A lot of it has to do with the changes I talked about above. The core and hip muscles "shut down" from being overstretched and need to be strengthened and retrained to activate at the appropriate times. There are mechanical changes in the spine and pelvis that lead to increased motion at these areas when running. Ultimately the excessive movement can lead to pain since there is a lack of stability in these areas. Some of the changes that occur with pregnancy such as an increased arch in the low back, remain past 1 year postpartum. The changes that occur do not just spontaneously resolve often times and the best solution is to retrain the body in order to prevent pain in the future.
So what can you do to get back to running after baby without injury? Unfortunately it is not as simple as just strengthening the core muscles. Yes, they need strengthening most of the time, but even more so, they need to be retrained to increase neuromuscular control. It's best to work with a Physical Therapist on this since they can give you very specific and targeted exercises to do in order to enhance this as well as look specifically at your dysfunction. But here are a few exercises to try at home that have been shown to have a high increase in muscle activation in the core and hips:
Get Your Running Groove Back After Baby: Side Plank Holds the Key
Begin on your side with feet stacked together and forearm resting on the ground. Lift up so your trunk is in a straight line and hips are lifted off the ground. Hold as long as you can without losing your form. Repeat on the other side.
Booty-Lifting Single Leg Bridge: Strengthen Your Core and Hips for Postpartum Running
Begin on your back with knees bent and one leg up in the air. Squeeze your bum and lift your hips up in the air while tightening the core. Pause then slowly lower back down towards the floor. Do 2 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Using slow motion video analysis can help identify imbalances and alignment issues before you return to running after baby in order to identify key areas of concern and avoid injury. If you want to run without getting injured or being in pain, I would highly suggest having one done. Fill out the below form to receive more information about the slow motion video analysis.