Running after childbirth, specifically how or when to return, is a hot topic in the field of physical therapy and on social media; however, there are significant gaps in the literature supporting when and how to safely initiate running postpartum. During pregnancy and following childbirth (both vaginal and cesarean), the body undergoes changes that may impact strength, neuromuscular control, endurance, and the ability to withstand the high-impact forces and repetitive nature of running. Many mothers experience new or worsened symptoms of musculoskeletal or pelvic floor dysfunction following pregnancy and childbirth and require physical therapy to normalize function. After most major injuries, it is common to participate in formalized rehabilitation; however, this is not the norm for athletes returning to running postchildbirth. Because of lack of evidence, many runners and clinicians struggle to develop appropriate rehabilitation progressions for return to running after childbirth. Pelvic and sports physical therapists must understand biomechanical features of running gait and safely progress strength, endurance, and neuromuscular control of the kinetic chain when guiding a runner BACKGROUNDRunning is becoming more popular during and after pregnancy. About 70% of runners who become pregnant continue to run during pregnancy. 1 After childbirth, runners commonly resume running between 2 weeks and 2 months postpartum. 1,2 Runners who
Synopsis There is minimal evidence to guide return to exercise after pregnancy and childbirth, and even less information on safe return to competitive sport. The International Olympic Committee has suggested a 3-phase approach to postpartum recovery in athletes. This Viewpoint expands on that 3-phase model and incorporates a multidisciplinary approach to ensure comprehensive care of postpartum athletes to facilitate safe return to sport with optimal health and performance outcomes. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach may also open new research avenues to ameliorate the dearth of knowledge regarding musculoskeletal recovery and facilitate the development of guidelines to inform clinicians and postpartum women about safe return to exercise, particularly, high-intensity or high-impact activities. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2020;50(6):281–284. doi:10.2519/jospt.2020.0607
Musculoskeletal recovery, including trunk flexor muscle strength and fatigability, is incomplete at 26 wk postpartum. These findings provide a rationale for future studies to address outcomes of rehabilitation programs specifically targeted at improving strength and fatigability of the trunk flexor muscles after pregnancy and childbirth.
Background: Pregnancy and childbirth are associated with lumbopelvic pain and instability. Fatigability of the lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles after childbirth is unknown, and no clinical tests exist to assess this important metric of muscle function. Objectives: To compare fatigability of the lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles in postpartum and nulligravid (control) women using the Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR) Fatigue Task, and to determine if fatigability is associated with inter-recti distance (IRD), physical function, and pain/disability. Study design: Longitudinal case-control study Methods: Twenty-nine nulligravid (25.4 ± 9.1 years) and 31 postpartum women (31.4 ± 5.2 years; vaginal delivery n=18) were tested at two time points, 16 weeks apart (postpartum women tested at 8–10 and 24–26 weeks postpartum). Muscular function was assessed with manual muscle testing (MMT), the ASLR Test, and a new ASLR Fatigue Task. Other measures included IRD, rectus abdominis thickness, physical activity, and six-minute walk distance. Results: Postpartum women were 23% more fatigable (p=0.028) and were weaker (MMT) (p<0.001) than controls up to 26 weeks postpartum. The ASLR fatigue task (time-to-failure) was associated with smaller IRD, greater rectus abdominis thickness, higher physical activity levels, greater MMT strength, and further distance walked in six minutes (p<0.05). Conclusion: Postpartum women (up to 6 months) had greater fatigability of the lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles and lower physical function than nulligravid women, suggesting core muscle function and fatigability should be assessed after pregnancy and childbirth. The ASLR Fatigue Task could be a clinically useful tool to determine fatigability of the lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles in women postpartum.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.