You need impact training in your postpartum return-to-run program for better pelvic floor health
1Ever feel like your body’s ready to run… but your pelvic floor didn’t get the memo? 😩
You’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. The truth? We think we know what matters for postpartum running, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. 🤷♀️
We use tools like screening impact in Postpartum Return to Running Readiness screen—double leg hops, single leg hops, running in place—to check the boxes.
But is that really enough to retrain your pelvic floor to handle impact and pressure the way running demands? That’s the million-dollar question no one fully answers yet.
Here’s just a glimpse at what the research tells us so far:
💥 Moser 2018: Women with incontinence show delayed or weaker pelvic floor activation during impact. Your pelvic floor is supposed to fire reflexively—run, cough, sneeze, jump—if it doesn’t? Hello leaks. 🚩
💥 Luginbuehl 2021 (RCT): Adding jumping and running to pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for women with stress urinary incontinence was safe—but it didn’t outperform classic strength-based PFMT. The kicker? Future research may need to push power and intensity higher—more like skeletal muscle training. (We'll dive into the details in a separate post)
💥 Goodson 2022: Measured impact (vertical ground reaction forces) across 46 running drills. Some loaded way more than others. Surprise? Fast running hits hard (2.66x bodyweight). But hills? Less load, same cardio hit. Should we be taking this progression into consideration more when dosing impact with our clients with pelvic floor issues? More to come.
✨ Bottom line: Timing, reflexes, and how you build impact back in—it all matters for postpartum runners. And honestly? We’re just scratching the surface. There’s more work to do.
👇 Have you ever felt like your pelvic floor just couldn’t keep up once you started running again? What’s been the hardest thing to do if you're navigating impact with pelvic floor issues like leakage, prolapse or pelvic pain?
#PostpartumRunning #PelvicFloor #PelvicHealth #WomensHealth #PostpartumFitness #PelvicFloorPT #ReturnToRun #PostpartumAthlete #RunnersOfInstagram #MomRunner #Incontinence #RunStrong #RunMomRun #paglianorunning
💥Moser H, Leitner M, Baeyens JP, Radlinger L. Pelvic floor muscle activity during impact activities in continent and incontinent women: a systematic review. Int Urogynecol J. 2018 Feb;29(2):179-196.
💥Luginbuehl H, Lehmann C, Koenig I, Kuhn A, Buergin R, Radlinger L. Involuntary reflexive pelvic floor muscle training in addition to standard training versus standard training alone for women with stress urinary incontinence: a randomized controlled trial. Int Urogynecol J. 2022 Mar;33(3):531-540.
💥Goodson C, McLeod AR, Kearns Z, Paquette MR. External loading of common training drills: Ranking drills to design progressive return-to-run programs. Phys Ther Sport. 2022 Nov;58:167-172.