That’s the question trainer, researcher, and kinesiology professor Kara Radzak, PhD, ACT, faced after giving birth to her first child in 2018.
“I did what every clinician and researcher would do: I went to PubMed to see what was out there, looking for evidence-based guidance on how to return to running safely,” Razak said. “Nothing.”
Things have changed since then: In 2019, a group of physiotherapist researchers published guidance in the British Medical Association journal BMJ on how clinicians can help previously pregnant people return to running to reduce injuries and promote Successful results from your return to running program.
Now, in addition to recommendations for a more comprehensive pelvic floor exam, there’s a seven-step “Load and Impact Management Assessment” that advises people to check their joints, muscles and core (including the pelvic floor) before returning to high impact.
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Typically, people giving birth are told not to do any exercise for six weeks after a vaginal birth, or eight weeks if it was a C-section. Your OB-GYN will then evaluate you and, if you feel normal, give you the green light to resume exercise again. Tia chief clinical officer Jessica Horwitz, MPH FNP-C, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and public health clinician, said receiving this clearance means it’s “medically safe” to start exercising. .
Your obstetrician may recommend that you start slowly, but in terms of the effects on your body — your body is still feeling the effects of the embrace and birth “after your six-week postpartum visit,” according to Horwitz Effects on Infants – Certain forms of exercise may be more difficult to put into practice than others.
In particular, running is a high-impact activity that puts a lot of force on your joints, and due to hormonal changes, your joints may loosen and/or align differently than they did before pregnancy. It also engages nearly every muscle in your lower body and core—a tough task after months of not running and experiencing abdominal muscle separation.
What’s more, if your pelvic floor muscles (the sling of muscles that support your organs and entire torso) don’t recover adequately after being stretched into oblivion during pregnancy, you may experience incontinence and/or insufficient support for the rest of your upper body As you bounce up and down on these muscles.
This can all lead to discomfort or injury, or lead to an irregular gait, which can have the same consequences. So the running readiness test assesses whether your joints and muscles can withstand the forces involved in a happy launch (one leg at a time) on the street, track, treadmill or trail.
Razak sees the test as a tool to provide people with more information, saying that, in general, there aren’t enough studies on postpartum recovery and activity guidelines. “It’s so poorly understood, but the need is so great, and it’s been ignored for so long,” Razak said. “No [otherwise] If you want to get in shape, there are plenty of guides available.
If you don’t pass the test with flying colors, but you feel ready to run again, consider consulting your doctor or running coach further to learn how to relax.
Horvitz agreed that post-pregnancy running testing might help this group run with more confidence, but stressed that outside testing shouldn’t be the final word. If you don’t pass the test after growing into a full human, but you feel like you’re ready to run again, consider consulting your doctor or running coach further about how to relax. Be prepared, but not emotionally or mentally ready to take on the challenge of running, so you definitely shouldn’t feel pressured to do so.
“I think that’s a data point that can be considered as a whole,” Horwitz said.
Postpartum running test
In order to pass the Load and Impact Management Assessment, you need to be able to perform the following activities “without pain, heaviness, dragging, or incontinence.”
- 30 minutes walk
- Balance on one foot, 10 seconds on each side
- One-legged squats, 10 reps on each side
- Jog in place for 1 minute
- Jump forward (slow, exaggerated, jump), repeat 10 times
- Jump on one foot, repeat 10 times on each side
- One-leg “running man” (bend your arm and the other leg upward at the same time, then bend backward, and run slowly on the spot), repeat 10 times on each side
If you “pass” the test, remember to take your time. Consider starting with alternating walking and jogging and slowly increasing the time, distance, and speed. You can also check out the Postpartum Return to Running Plan for a step-by-step guide.
