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How to get ready for your first RUN after CHILDBIRTH!

​You are ready to start running after the birth of your child, but is your body?

Written by Better Backs: Your Bedfordview Chiropractor     12th June 2019 


After a long and tortuous 9 months, your little bundle of joy finally arrives and blesses your life with smiles, hugs and more love than you could have ever imagined. Little does your baby realise, but mommy is very relieved to have her body back. After a few weeks of getting in to a new routine at home, you start to feel that it is time to get back into shape and you feel ready to start exercising again. But is your body really ready to get back into the high impact, high intensity training, such as running?

During pregnancy and childbirth, your body goes through many changes. After contraception, your body will expand, especially in the abdominal area, as your uterus enlarges to accommodate for the growing baby. This will stretch structures in the abdomen and may put pressure on the muscles (which act like a tent) to hold these structures in place. This can cause them to stretch and become weaker as they have had to support a heavy load during pregnancy and can possibly tear during vaginal childbirth. (Journal of Prenatal Medicine).

​Average recovery and healing time for these tissues is between 4 – 6 months, compared to the traditional recommended 6 week period that is advised by most attending physicians. It is important to remember, that although you may want to accelerate your return to sport, it is the long term side effects that may impact negatively, on your premature return to sport. It is recommended that you take at least 12 weeks to recover, before starting to return back to exercise or sports. (British Journal of Sports Medicine).

A following is a guideline for women, who wish to return to sport, following child birth.

Weeks 0 – 2
  • Progression has to be slow and movement must be controlled.
  • Start with low impact exercise: slow and light walking
  • It is advisable that pelvic floor exercises and abdominal brace positions be performed. On average, 3 sets with 12 – 15 repetitions are performed, 3 times daily.

Weeks 2 – 4
  • Increase the time, speed and distance in walking.
  • Core stability exercises can now be incorporated: planking, bridging, lunging and squats (but the abdominal brace position must be maintained at all times during these exercises).

Weeks 4 – 6
Weeks 6 – 8
  • Increase the low intensity exercises to 30 – 40 minutes, with low level settings.
  • Incorporated stability exercises, for example, balancing on a wobble board or bozu ball, while keeping the core and abdominal muscles tight and strong.
  • Using 1kg or 2kg weights, you can start doing some basic arm exercises while sitting on a Pilates ball: bicep curls, arm raises or shoulder press exercises.
  • Remember to stretch after every exercise session.

Weeks 8 – 12
  • You can start to incorporate swimming. Start off slowly and build up your endurance and strength by increasing the number of lengths you swim, not increasing your speed.
  • You can also start to take up spinning classes, if you feel comfortable sitting on a spinning bike saddle.
  • Remember to stretch after every exercise session.

Weeks 12 and Beyond
  • Start to incorporate light jogging and progress to running.
  • Start off with a slow pace and try and increase your distance rather than your speed for the first 2 weeks.
  • Try keep to flat roads and initially alternate between walking and jogging.
  • Run on alternate days, no more than 3 times per week.
  • Gradually start to increase your speed and distance and after 3 weeks of training, incorporate incline work.
  • As you become fitter and stronger, you can increase the intensity of training by improving your speed, distance or number of training sessions during the week.
  • Stretch after every exercise session, as this will prevent injury and improve overall movement and flexibility.
Research Articles and information provided by:
British Journal of Sports Medicine 2019, Gráinne Donnelly, accessed 12 June 2019, <https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/05/20/ready-steadygo-ensuring-postnatal-women-are-run-ready/>

Journal of Prenatal Medicine 2009, Yleni Fonti; Rosalba Giordano; Alessanda Cacciatore; Mattea Romano; Beatrice La Rosa, accessed 12 June 2019 <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279110/>
​
Hyde TE; Gengenbackh, MS 2007, Conservative Management of Sports Injuries, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Massachusetts.
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