More importantly come and have a full post- natal check and our Women’s health Physios can advise for your body.
Postnatal running
When the foot strikes the ground as you run, a ground reaction force travels through the body. This high impact force requires stability and strength from the muscles, ligaments and joints in the body, especially around the pelvis to maintain good control.
Muscles and ligaments in the postnatal body have a decreased ability to generate strength. This is because of the hormonal and physical changes that occur during pregnancy and birth. This, together with the downward force of gravity, means that carrying out such a high impact sport can put strain on structures in the body that are already weakened. This can potentially cause long-term damage.
What postnatal exercises are safe to perform?
Every woman has a different body. They have different births and different fitness levels leading into pregnancy. So, your return to exercise after pregnancy will depend on your individual body. Begin with low-impact exercises, like swimming, pelvic floor exercises, post-natal yoga, post-natal Pilates and gradually increase building up your training from there.
If you’re a runner or you’re eager to return to high-impact workouts, we suggest you see one of our Women’s Health Physiotherapists earlier than 6 weeks. We will assess your abdominal muscles, postural alignment and pelvic floor to determine the correct exercise for you. We’ll work alongside you to guide you in your safe return to exercise.
We offer a post-natal check at 2 weeks to assess your abdominal separation, discuss your labour and give you appropriate advice to help your healing. At 6 weeks after the check -up with your doctor/ Ob we can do a full pelvic floor assessment and give you specific exercises and training guidelines.
Sports Focus offers a postnatal small group post-natal exercise classes, together with individual examinations and assessments of all pelvic floor disorders for all ages. Contact us to get started.
