Occurrence Of Self-reported Injuries In Female Runners During Pregnancy And Postpartum

Occurrence of Self-Reported Injuries in Female Runners During Pregnancy and PostpartumJazmyne Davis, Kasey Sutryk, Milani Saldon, Andrew Miller, Angela Spontelli Gisselman, ,, Svetlana Nepocatych, Srikant Vallabhajosula Shefali Christopher Despite the health benefits, research has found that many female runners will make the tough decision not to continue to run during pregnancy and the postpartum stages because of factors including general fear and not knowing when to safely return to running. Unfortunately, despite knowing abdominal, hip, and pelvic floor weakness is prevalent among the pregnant and postpartum population and up to 80% report pain with running, not much is known about what type of specific injuries are most common. This is important to know as moderate-intensity exercise during pregnancy and postpartum is beneficial for the mother and the baby. PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of self-reported injuries and pelvic health symptoms in runners throughout their pregnancy and postpartum stages. METHODS: 12 healthy runners who ran at least once a week and had clearance to run during pregnancy and postpartum filled out at least one weekly questionnaire starting during pregnancy up to 18 months postpartum. The weekly questionnaire contained questions from the Oslo Sport Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Sleep Disturbance Form, Fatigue Scale, and Pelvic Floor Disability Index. RESULTS: Out of the 10 participants who reported injuries in at least one of their weekly surveys, 7 reported an injury at the pelvis. However, none of the pelvic injuries were within 3-5 days of the child’s birth date. The data also demonstrated that 6/7 participants in the 2nd trimester, 6/8 participants in the 3rd trimester, and 7/9 participants in the 1-3 months postpartum category had at least one report of bothersome bowel, bladder, or pelvic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this longitudinal study suggest that research should begin to focus more specifically on investigating injuries at the pelvis throughout pregnancy and postpartum. It also suggests that pelvic floor rehabilitation should also be encouraged during the 2nd trimester when symptoms usually begin to appear into the first 3 months postpartum . APTA Pelvic Health